Endorsement by the MRH NEA is particularly meaningful to me as I see public school teachers as the key to the success of our society and the foundation from which student success is built. My family has had a great experience with high-quality teachers at MRH. Personally, I can speak to the direct impact public school teachers make based on my own experience growing up in an impoverished household raised by a single mother. The support and commitment of the teachers at the Columbia Public Schools prepared me for success by holding me to high academic standards, empowering me to become a strong citizen, and enriching my life with extracurricular activities. My roots at CPS run deep, I met my husband at Hickman High School in the band, and we were proud to have our band director attend our wedding! The benefits I gained from publicly funded education didn't end there; I attended Mizzou as a first-generation college student supported by Pell Grants, the Bright Flight Scholarship, and the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program. This prepared me to continue my graduate education earning my masters degree at the University of Maryland - Baltimore as a nurse practitioner and earning my doctorate in nursing practice at Saint Louis University.