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How can I even put into words the influence that teachers have had upon my life? From Mrs. Bond in first grade, teaching me to love reading, to Mrs. Carlson in eighth that taught me math really isn't so bad. The educators I have had in my past have helped to shape the person I am today. It all started sophomore year, imagine a young lady with no drive, no initiative, no desire to succeed, and a person that had lost almost all motivation to keep living. That's who I was at the beginning of my sophomore year until I entered second period Agricultural Biology. One day, when I had reached the bottom, and made plans that would completely alter my life, Mrs. Dusty Morgan asked to talk to me after class. Mrs. Morgan, gave me an entirely new perspective on life. Mrs. Morgan did more than save my life, but she opened the door that would teach me who Calee Lott truly was, and what I was capable of.
Mrs. Morgan showed me the steps that I needed to take to change my life through the FFA Program. I didn't know what FFA was, or how beneficial the impact it could be on a person, but soon I saw the impact such a program could have. When the end of my sophomore year rolled around, I was trying harder in school, I cared more about what my parents and peers thought and said, and I was looking for opportunities to excel. After a great amount of motivation from Mrs. Morgan, I decided to try out for chapter office. I was appointed to the office of historian, and began what would ultimately become the most influential year of my high school career. That summer I learned exactly what the word leader means. Mrs. Morgan taught me how to set the example that could cause a chain reaction in the members of South Summit FFA. She taught me skills that I will carry for the rest of my life. These skills include: dependability, reliability, responsibility, and so much more.
As my junior year progressed, I was inspired by Mrs. Morgan with greater force than ever before. Agriculture education has been a huge impact on her life, and because she was seeing the same excitement in me, she motivated me to become a teacher myself. Through this inspiration I acquired an internship with her during one of her classes. Her faith in me was shown when she allowed me the opportunity of starting one of her classes each day with various warm-up activities, helping coordinate lesson plans for her classes, as well as other things. This helped me to realize teaching is the career that I am ecstatic to be pursuing at Utah State University right now.
Because she has and continues to believe in my abilities, I am able to do more now than I ever dreamed of doing. Mrs. Morgan has helped me succeed in more aspects than I ever imagined possible. Stage fright has consumed me ever since I was little, but because of her encouragement, I was able to memorize a twelve minute speech, and present it in front of over 1,500 FFA Members, their parents, and guests as the 2013 Utah FFA State Vice President. She believed that I had potential when no one else did. She has also taught me that being different is admirable, that being stressed out is a part of life, that it's okay to say "no", and most importantly, believing in yourself can work miracles. Due to the impact that Mrs. Morgan has made on my life, I am able to see that my future is not going to be easy, but I can accomplish anything that I set my mind to.
Mrs. Morgan truly saved my life. She saw a light in me when I thought there was no light left. Since I have graduated, her influence on me hasn't stopped. I'm honored to now call her a mentor, and a friend. She is why I am the person that I am today.
--Calee Lott
