As I reflect on my past experiences and my education, it is very clear to me that the way I interact with children is a strength. While working as a babysitter and summer camp counselor, I have experienced difficult situations involving children. These difficult situations were challenging at first but seemed to become easier with time. As I was dealing with more difficult situations throughout my babysitting and summer camp counseling jobs, I gained the knowledge the prepare me for future difficult situations. In addition to these experiences, my education at Longwood University has only further enhanced my skillset. While being at Longwood, I have developed confidence in my leadership abilities. Joining Greek life opened an endless amount of leadership opportunities for me and I decided to take one, feeling far more prepared after doing so. While taking on a leadership position in my sorority, I was involved in endless amounts of team-building. I was able to take these same practices and apply them when working with my summer campers. The methods were very successful and provided additional confidence in the relationships I formed.

Prior to my experience working with children, I worked as a receptionist and in the food service industry. Both of these opportunities provided me with experiences in dealing with all kinds of people and the importance of customer service. These are both important skills when working with children. While working as a babysitter and summer camp counselor, I was able to apply these skills. In addition to my job experiences and education, I enjoy working with children and have found it to be my passion. Working with children comes naturally to me.