Why I Became a Teacher
August 14, 2020
Ryan Sykes (VA '19)
"My brother told me that if I became a teacher, I would never want for a job and I would always be able to take care of myself. I almost didn’t get to teach; I failed the Praxis exam multiple times to get my teacher’s license. But I persevered and prepared. After failing it five times, when I got the opportunity to take the test again, I was ready. I passed and graduated from Virginia State University in 2011.
"Once I started teaching, it was about more than taking care of myself. Teaching became an opportunity for me to help students #MakeItPOP (Perseverance + Opportunity + Preparation = Success). I am truly honored to have the opportunity to help underprivileged students 'make it' through education like I did. I feel like I am anointed to care because of the traumatic experiences I survived as an adolescent. Those experiences allowed me to develop and display a certain level of empathy that is simply unmatched."
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