to my life changer.

We all have one person who began something really important in our life. They were the first to inspire us or guide us. They began something in our life, no matter how small, that had a significant impact.

Sometimes that impact happens at one time, and sometimes it's a long-lasting and continuing impact.

Being here in DC has made a few things come full circle for myself. The biggest part of studying journalism here in our nation's Capitol is that it was here that I first caught that "bug" to be a journalist. While I never pictured myself living here 5 years ago when I first came to Washington, DC as a sophomore in high school...I see now where that was one of the first steps I would take towards studying journalism.

As I continue to reflect in these first few days, I look back at the very beginning. And I look back at the person who first opened the door to my calling. The first person who taught me what it meant to be a journalist.

The appreciation I have for this woman in my life cannot be put into words, nor can the love I have for her be measured. There is no way I would be pursuing the career that I am, with the passion that I have had it not been for her.

The first time I entered Journalism 101, I was met with an energetic, vivacious woman. She had this passion for this new subject of mine, journalism. It was a passion that I soon shared. There was something infectious about her passion.

She opened my eyes to a world where there is a commitment to telling the truth. A commitment to keeping the public informed. A commitment to telling peoples' stories and living out the first amendment rights.

As I sit in my journalism classes as one of the more educated students on the background of journalism, I keep giving credit to my high school journalism experience. I keep giving credit to the amazing woman that was my journalism advisor.

Living out my dream is making me appreciate my strong foundation in the fundamental principles of journalism. A foundation I think I have taken for granted until I came to a place where I had to put into practice all I've learned.

The greatest part of experiencing all of this, is that I still get to share it with the woman who helped begin it all. She is still one of the first people I text or call to tell when exciting things are happening.

A teacher is someone who not only teaches her students academic lessons, but life lessons as well. Where their commitment to their students isn't just about fulfilling their job description, but fulfilling a higher calling. A calling to make a difference.

This is why I give so much credit to my high school journalism advisor. Not only did she teach me the basic principles of journalism, she taught me what it meant to practice these principles. She not only taught me how to structure a journalism piece, she taught me how to tell a story.

She is one who has never given up on me. Her commitment to me as a student was also a commitment to me as a person. This is why three years after I've graduated high school, I still turn to her for advice. It is why I still pick up my phone to tell her good news before most other people.

Her impact in my life cannot be put into words. It can only be seen when I reflect back on the journey that led me here. When I reflect on the journey I have taken in pursuing my dreams. Each step along the way, she is there. She has added to the pieces of the puzzle of my life in both small and big ways.

I know that there is absolutely no way I would be here without her. I know there is absolutely no way I would be studying to be a journalist had I never met her. I know that there is absolutely no way I would be the woman I am today without her.

If only our world had more teachers who made such a commitment to their students. Who are truly pursuing a higher calling of helping guide their students instead of just earning  a paycheck. It is these individuals that make the difference in the lives of the students they teach.

It is people like Jenny Proctor who make the world a better place.

As I revel in this whole experience. As I sit and study in my journalism classes and begin to work at my internship next week, I reflect. I reflect on who I am today and where I began. I reflect on the woman who began it all.

Who is still such a support system in my life. Who I text almost every day here in DC because she has to be one of the first people I tell things too. Who I could not do life without or be who I am today without.

Jenny Proctor you're a life changer, just so you know.