Following My Dreams

A few weeks ago, I posted that some big things that were happening behind the scenes here. But I didn't actually tell you what those big things are...

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I kept a quote by my desk at work until just recently that said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." The quote, by Eleanor Roosevelt, reminded me (and continues to do so) that no matter how stressful or overwhelmed things felt, if I just believed in my dream, and followed it, I would be able to achieve it.
When I was in third grade, my parents took my brother and I on a trip to Boston to tour the city, visit museums and see some other historical sites. My favorite part of the trip was visiting Lexington and Concord, and learning that this was where the American Revolution had begun. We walked through Cambridge one day of our trip - walking around Harvard and, of course, stopping at the Harvard Co-Op - and I fell in love with the city then, at 9 years old. On the drive home from Boston, I told my parents that one day, I was going to move to Cambridge and become a teacher. While my journey has taken me on a few different adventures along the way, I can finally say that I am now following my dream.
This past Spring, I was accepted to Northeastern University for graduate school, and this Summer, I began taking classes towards my Masters in the Art of Teaching with Secondary Licensure. All those times when posting became a bit erratic, or I alluded to the fact that I was 'busy with work' - I was hard at work going to school full-time while continuing to work my day job full-time. Yesterday evening, I clocked out of work one last time, took the red line out of the city one last time, and rode the shuttle home from the station one last time. And, on January 2nd, I will be starting my student teaching at Quincy High School in their History Department. 
This journey has been incredible, and I have worked so hard to reach this point and I am overjoyed knowing that I have finally reached it. I am super excited to meet with my cooperating teacher (today!) and to dive into this world of teaching. I want to begin inspiring student learning and help make a difference to my students, both in school and in life.  I want to help students find their voice, teach history in a way that excites students, build strong relationships with other teachers, and, personally, continue to learn more about history and further immerse myself in the subject.
I know that the future holds many incredible things, and I am ready to embark on the next step of this journey. Life is going to stay busy for a little while - but I like busy. Busy keeps me on my toes and allows for me to be continually creative both at school and at home. 
I want to thank everyone who has already been a part of this journey - both family and friends. You have shared in my success in this program and been there for me each step of the way, and I cannot ever thank you enough. Today, as I take the next step in the rest of my life, I do so with so much happiness and joy and I am so glad to finally share the news with all of YOU!