Picture this, a 16-year-old girl who is a sophomore in high school with a small group of friends and no clue what she wants to do with life. She is lost in a wave of people around her. She enjoys photography and the sports that she plays but is still feels as though something is missing.

Now picture this, a teacher who has moved across the state with her husband. A new job has opened up at the local high school, and the BETA club chapter needs a sponsor as well as the prom committee. She takes the job along with the clubs without knowing what is coming next. SPOILER ALERT: What comes next is unfathomable.

The first day of school passes by with little to no excitement. The jitters were all for not, and both sophomore and teacher realizes that this is only the beginning of another stale year. Soon, the first week passes by with the "same ole same ole," there was nothing new, but at the end of the first month came around changes were happening.

The small Alabama 2A school's BETA club had never had officers, but the new teacher decided that it was time for a change. The small sophomore knew this was where she needed to be. She ran for Secretary, and won!

Next up was time to plan for the annual state convention for the club. The sophomore submitted her photography to the new sponsor anxious because she had never known that there was actually a visual arts competition. The teacher knew the photograph was good, but she knew that it needed more.

With haste, she ran to the newly-elected secretary and told her that she HAD to turn the photo into a mixed media art piece. She was put on the spot and had no clue what to say, other than "Well I guess I could try to do that." She did not even know what mixed media art was. That entire night was spent scrolling through the internet trying to figure out what to paint.

Fast forward two months and now it is time for the convention, and the sophomore finished her art the night before she left in true procrastinator style. As soon as the new teacher saw what she had created, there was nothing other than words of praise, the sponsor was so extremely proud of her student. The student, however, was filled with self-doubt and concern that she would let her sponsor down.

This is it, the time to pick up the arts. As the sophomore walked into the exhibit hall her stomach was filled to the brim with butterflies all around. She walked into the room, slowly walked to where her division was displayed and saw her art. Her mouth dropped to the floor as she saw her sponsor standing with a giddy smile beside her second place art.

She had placed, that meant she would get to go to nationals in New Orleans! This was all because of the new sponsor pushing her out of her comfort zone.

Now as many may have guessed by now, that young impressionable sophomore was me, and the new teacher was what would become my absolute favorite teacher in the world. She pushed me in my art, life, and academics. She taught me that I had a meaning, and I can, in fact, lead others, no matter how down I get on myself. Mrs. Stanford changed the way I look at the world and let me know that I am enough.

I was able to spend three years with her and went to visit her nearly every single day as I did not have an actual class with her. Throughout those years I grew so close to my favorite teacher, she had such a compassion and drive that inspired me every day. I could not thank her enough for pushing me and my classmates as much as she did. She put each of us in some uncomfortable situations, but she always knew that she was helping us become great people, maybe even world changers.

So thank you, Mrs. Terrie Stanford. Thank you for gracing the BETA club, students, and school with your presence. You will never know how hard it was for me to leave our last convention, or your classroom for the last time. I promise that I will never forget the lessons that you have taught me, and the wonderful times that we shared. Thank you from my heart to yours.