Before high school, I adored school, and my teachers exceeded expectations, but no one teacher stuck out to me. But, the first day of my freshman year when I walked into my 3/4 hour class on A days, I met the most genuine, kind, and compassionate teacher who would become the most influential person in my life. Mrs. King is a Family and Consumer Education teacher and a Health Youth Apprenticeship and HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) coordinator at Arrowhead High School. These classes and clubs show her effort to get students involved in health sciences to help them better decide what they want to do in the future.
Mrs. King has fiery red hair that brightens up her face, like the sun peeking from behind the clouds. She has a laugh that flies through the Arrowhead hallways, like angels flapping their wings. Her most admirable quality is her love for life and she wears it proudly. 

During my sophomore year, I applied and was accepted into the Health Youth Apprenticeship Program to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. Mrs. King strongly encouraged me to apply, for she saw I had the skills of a future nurse. After the first CNA class, I knew the license would be my first step in my future nursing career. I am thankful for the opportunity because my CNA work experience hours wedged me onto the list of 106 freshmen admitted nursing students at the University of Minnesota.

I’ll never forget the day I told her I got into the nursing program at the University of Minnesota; she lit up like such a proud mother and gave me the biggest hug. I have never had a teacher so interested in who am I and what I want for myself. She knew that getting into a pristine nursing school was my biggest aspiration, and I achieved it. One of the biggest life lessons that Mrs. King has taught me is that no dream should be belittled. If I have a dream of what I want for myself in the future, I should go for it, with full force and determination. Mrs. King has directly impacted my determination by encouraging me every step of my high school career leading me up to the end of my senior year. This made me feel that for the first time, I had a teacher who advocated for me. A teacher who cared for me like I was family and that I meant something to her, more than just like every other student.

Arrowhead High School is home to many truly talented teachers, but none of them have helped the spark inside me light up more than Mrs. King. She has such a charismatic essence to her and she is always up for a challenge. I cannot thank her enough for the past four years. I will cherish each and every word of her advice, her sweet voice, and her help regarding my future.