School for me is painful. The constant question of when will I use this has been on repeat in every class since sixth grade. This all changed in AP U.S. Government with Ms. Varsos. I walked into the class second hour nervous. It was my first AP class and I didn’t think I belonged. But Ms. Varsos gave me confidence. She had previously taught my US History class and I loved the way she taught her class--she made everything we learned come to life. She taught in ways that made you visualize the subject; as if we were in the civil war, or just crossing the atlantic sea on the first voyage from Great Britain. 
She made presentations for each chapter, sharing everything on Google Classroom for us to follow and take notes as she explained. When it came to tests, she would make study guides which helped me recap every piece of material we had been learning about. I still remember finishing US History with an A in the class and getting the best score I’d ever achieved on a final exam. This was in part because she made it easy to follow along with what she was talking about, and made each chapter something new.
AP Government gave me the inspiration I needed to decide on what I wanted to major in. This was a big decision and Ms. Varsos helped me decide that Politics was what I loved. Through learning everything from civil liberties to the budget, I found it all fascinating. I remember asking Ms. Varsos for a letter of recommendation for college.
She was interested in where I was going. I had never had a teacher more caring and passionate about what she taught. When she talks about issues (like women’s battle for equality or public opinion in politics), you can tell that she has a passion for what she teaches. Ms. Varsos has helped me shape myself to better decide my future in college and after.
Without Ms. Varsos, I could be going into college in advertising or switching majors later or even going in with no idea of what to major in. I am now heading into college with a passion for politics and I couldn’t be more thankful. This is why I nominate Ms. Varsos for this award.