LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Terri Carnell was nominated by a student.

"When I first met Mrs. Carnell, I took Composition in the first semester as a junior at Arrowhead High School. Everyone said to take the class because you write your college essay, and almost everyone took it, so I did that. I always wanted to go to college, so I knew this English class would prepare me for that. I ended up having Mrs. Carnell again in my senior year when I took Advanced Composition, and I started to understand more about her in the second year of having her," said the student.

"She always made me laugh or smile. I knew I was going there to write, which I dreaded at times, but Mrs. Carnell always made me feel like my writing was important and appreciated," said the student.

"Mrs. Carnell is not only an English teacher but a mom to three boys whom she loves and cares for greatly, which I see in the way she talks about them. Having three sons makes Mrs. Carnell the amazing person that she is. She's enthusiastic, active, and compassionate in her teaching," said the student.

"Real. One of the things that stands out to me when thinking about Mrs. Carnell is she is the most real person I know. She's not afraid to speak the truth and say things how they are—which I admire and makes me feel closer connected to her," said the student.

"Our school has become more strict about phones and said they aren't allowed to be in the classroom, so teachers have become more strict with phones. 'Please keep those phones put away; I really would like to keep this job,' Mrs. Carnell would always say. I knew it was mostly a joke, but it was also real because she did want to keep her job and enforce the new school rules. Mrs. Carnell is also real because she notices when students don't say hi back to her in the hallways and points it out later in the day," said the student.

"Students are always preoccupied or unaware of their surroundings in the hallways, especially in the morning, and sometimes Mrs. Carnell wants a subtle smirk or a hushed hello. Although it isn't always mutual, Mrs. Carnell still tries to be kind to every student she sees, which I admire about her," said the student.

"Mrs. Carnell is a role model and a mother figure in the classroom. She always pushes her students to succeed and try their best, just like a mother would for her kids, because she cares. Mrs. Carnell has pushed me and my writing abilities, and I've become a more advanced writer and person thanks to her, said the student.

"Mrs. Carnell is always positive, understanding, and optimistic. When I go off to college and live the rest of my life, although I'm not certain about my future, I am certain that I strive to embody those same qualities that Mrs. Carnell does," said the student.