Taylor Richard

My family and I first lived in Mississauga, Ontario for most of my childhood. When my mom left, my dad decided to relocate us to a safer and better town called Georgetown. That's when my love for sports grew, and I joined every sports team I could in highschool. I was on the field hockey team, wrestling team, and rugby team. I did very well in every sport I joined and was always team captain. When I was in grade 12, I applied to nursing school at Cambrian College; not because that's what I wanted to do, but because I felt pressured into going to post secondary school. I expressed my concern to my dad, but it was hard for him to sympathize with me because he dropped out of highschool at a very young age. He really didn't know what to say to me or what advice to give me. That's when I opened up to a teacher I felt really comfortable with. I explained my concern about post secondary school. The advice she gave me was exactly what I needed and what I needed to hear to make the right decision for myself. After talking to her, I knew in that moment that I wanted to become a teacher. The older I became, the more I realized how much of a positive influence teachers can have on their students. I wanted to not only have a positive influence on my students, but to be able to help students that didn't have anyone when they needed guidance or advice.