It’s hard to believe that it has been a full year since my journey as a Kenan Fellow began. Just over a year ago, I was interviewing in Raleigh for what I knew would be an excellent experience, if chosen. In just a few weeks, we will be celebrating the completion of our fellowships. That is just crazy to me. My growth as a Kenan Fellow has been profound, but not in ways that I might have expected. When I set out, I thought I would be partnering to grow my knowledge and practice as a STEM educator. Instead, I ended up in a fellowship with NC DPI and the English Language Arts department. I thought I might be in a lab, but I was writing and reflecting on curriculum. Indeed, my growth as a Kenan Fellow was not what a predicted. What I did learn as a fellow had more to do with professionalism, advocacy, leadership, and personal development. My time as a fellow has taught me a greater sense of professional confidence and made issues of teacher empowerment and growth more pressing. I feel that I have learned more about where I want to be as a professional, and I see my role as one that will be working with educators and educational leadership to develop comprehensive and cohesive plans for empowering teachers as those more in control of the educational climate. From the seminars and speakers directly with Kenan Fellowship institutes to the opportunities like NCCAT’s Data Literacy training and the Institute for Emerging Issues, I have honed my personal mission to be one that focuses on teacher development and leadership among professionals. For that, I am most grateful!