My personal relationships impacted my decision to become an educator. The close bond with my grandmother helped me recognize my love for teaching and brought out my natural ability to help others. Also, each relationship I had with my teachers (elementary through high school) was special. The professional relationships I built as an educator have taught me two things: (1) what to do and (2) what not to do. Each person, each team, each administrator, each school has been a learning experience. Some colleagues have turned into lifetime friends. Other colleagues and administrators did not share the same values and philosophy as me, so I cut ties with them. As a student, I had a unique experience. I was identified as Gifted and Talented in elementary school. While that sounds elite, I had difficulty relating to my classmates because of the lack of Hispanic representation in class. I could not identify with anyone. I could not share experiences with anyone. No one understood my world. In high school, I finally realized the importance of my gift of intelligence. By no means has my journey been easy. The divorces, unplanned events, diagnoses and untimely passings halted my dreams, but I persisted.