Hi, my name is Marissa and I was very fortunate to be a champion with the program from 2014-2017. Each year brought a different experience and solidified my passion for teaching. I believe teaching at Adele and The Victory Center for three consecutive years helped grow my love and passion for special education.

There are so many wonderful memories to look back on but one of my favourites was going sailing with students from Victory Center. It’s not every day you get to share an experience like sailing the Caribbean Sea with a student. I absolutely loved showing up to the schools and students remember who I and we were each year. I felt overjoyed and special when students remembered me. This feeling always reminded me I was doing something right. The relationships and connections made on the island will stay with me forever.

Antigua holds a special place in my heart. From the first days of school, to our red couch meetings, to our unity games, each element of this program brought laughter and tears. This program has helped shape me as an educator and I will continue to share these experiences with my students in the future.

I want to thank Dr. Joanna Sheppard for giving me this opportunity and having faith in me to be her TA. We may have had troubles starting the stove and getting to school without a flat tire but we did manage to pull off a proposal.