It was the beginning of fourth grade and I was terrified. I would have Mrs. Straight that year and all the older kids said she was scary and mean. Luckily she wasn't mean but simply strict, and she had high expectations for all her students. She was also caring. She noticed my artwork and put my 3D rendition of story The Trumpet of The Swan on display in the school library. Later she loved my first short story about a girl finding a unicorn in the forest and had me read it to an assembly of parents and other students. That was when I discovered I loved writing and sharing stories with other people. Mrs. Straight was diagnosed with cancer during the school year and died that summer. She was one of the many supporters in my life but someone I never got to thank. It's amazing what an impact we can make on others, and sometimes without ever knowing it. I live in the Pacific Northwest and enjoy exploring the mountains and traveling to the nearby coast or even farther away to Canada or the beach in Costa Rica.