When I was in 4th grade, I was so inspired by my teacher. She inspired me by the way she opened up the world to us !! Living in a small Midwestern town and not having the chance to travel much, it was such a great experience hearing her stories. One time she told us about how she had travelled to Florida and told us about how dolphins actually can save lives by pushing a drowning person to shore. That image has stuck with me to this day. As I write this , I am realizing how she affected my path. I not only became a teacher ( now an adjunct science teacher in Silicon valley for a non profit based at Vasona park in Los Gatos CA the Youth Science Institute (YSI) ) but I have always been fascinated by dolphins and whales. I even swam with a dolphin on the big island of Hawaii with the group Dolphin Quest. I've learned how to snorkel too. And now I realize that because of that one story she told our class in 4th grade she literally changed my life and inspired me to do these great and exciting things!!