“I felt really empowered that it was my decision.”
Kati fell in love with teaching after she had the chance to teach English as a second language to 3rd, 4th, and 7th graders in Mexico. “I was initially there just exploring life after high school and I started teaching and I just fell in love with it,” she says.
Now she works as a student success coach in New Mexico. Her day-to-day involves working closely with teachers and students to address behavior concerns, ensure students meet attendance requirements and help them stay on track academically.
While in college training to become a teacher, one of her professors told her she’d probably be approached early in her career to join the teachers union. She wanted Kati to know that union membership wasn’t a foregone conclusion, but something Kati and all teachers are empowered to decide for themselves.
Kati is still grateful to her professor for making sure she was aware of her options: “I was happy that I knew from day one that I could make that choice. I felt really empowered by that decision. And really proud that I was supporting and participating [in] something I really believed in.”