About Me

     Hi! My name is Kayla Carlson and I am a Freshman at Northwest Nazarene University, planning to major in Elementary Education. I was born on May 9, 1992 in Milwaukie, Oregon and was raised by my wonderful mother in Oregon City, Oregon. Up until moving to Nampa, Idaho, I have lived in the same place, in the same house my whole life. It has been really neat to have the opportunity to live somewhere else, and meet so many people, and make so many new friends. One of the people I look up to most is my grandma. She has made a life for herself from nothing, and is a true example of Christ. She has shown me what it is to care about people and show them what love is, making sacrifices for others. I first began volunteering at a food and clothing distribution site after she encouraged me to, and I worked there for seven years before moving to Nampa to attend college. I truly enjoy helping others out, helping them meet their basic needs that would otherwise not be met.

     In my free time, I enjoy doing just about anything. I am willing to try new things, stepping outside of my comfort zone to conquer a new challenge. I want to experience as much as I can in my lifetime and I don't want to wait until the last minute to do it. Some of my hobbies include reading, listening to music, playing my flute, spending time with friends and family, and laughing. Even though it can sometimes be hard to see the good in things, I try to be optimistic. I want to enjoy every moment and savor it. I love traveling, and exploring other cultures. I haven't had many opportunities to travel to other places, but when I do I want to learn as much as I can. It is so intriguing to see all of the similarities and differences in all of the cultures of the world, and whether I experience them firsthand or just research them in spare time, they are all valuable to me.

   Out of all of the cultures I have studied, I have a special interest in Latin-American cultures. In elementary school, I was in a English-Spanish bilingual program, and learned a lot about the different cultures of Latin America. I had some really great teachers whom I looked up to, that helped me in my struggles and pushed me to expand my knowledge. They taught me to always challenge myself and do my best in everything. I learned in both Spanish and English, and explored so many cultures other than my own. I continued taking Spanish in high school, and grew even more to love the Spanish culture. I though about all of the opportunities I had, being raised not just in one culture, but two, and how few people have that opportunity.

     It was my teachers and what I grew up learning that inspired me to want to be a teacher in the first place. I love spending time with children, working with the Children's program at church, and especially Vacation Bible School in the summers. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in third grade, and a few years ago I decided that I wanted to teach in a bilingual program. I want to work with children from Spanish-speaking homes, and help them to learn English and adapt to the American culture. On the other hand, I want to immerse other children into other cultures, who may not otherwise have the opportunity to. Growing up learning about both cultures had such a great impact on me and opened me up to see how unique each person really is. I want to be able to share the same great experience I was privileged with, and help others to experience them firsthand.