My name is Kayla Fitzgerald, and I am from Peoria, Illinois. I am still living with my parents at home. Since I am still living at home, I am never away from children. My mother runs a daycare in our home. It's great to see those children everyday. They have become a part of our family. My father works at Butternut Bakery in Peoria, and my sister is currently attending Illinois Central College.  She is majoring in Early Childhood. Apparently the love to work with children is in our blood.

      Upon graduating from Limestone Community High School, I attended Illinois Central College. I am so thankful that I took "baby steps" in my journey through my college education. After graduating from Illinois Central College, I finally began to spread my wings at Illinois State University. I lived in a house on campus with two girls that I met at Illinois Central College.

      I will be graduating from Illinois State University on May 13th with a Bachelor of Science in Education after successfully completing the year-long Pekin Professional Development School. This experience gave me the chance to work with a fifth grade class for an entire year and see them grow and mature into sixth graders. I am excited to continue my journey to become an effective teacher for my future students.