Maissa Hendrickson

Maissa Hendrickson – Texas
Nomination & Photography by Contemporary Portraits
Issue 74 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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Nomination: Maissa astounds us with her work ethic in everything she does. Her true calling is working with kids. She is part of Ready Set Teach which she goes to an elementary school and is a teacher’s aide. Maissa will be studying early childhood education in college. We are mostly proud of the love she gives her family. As the oldest cousin, she makes sure to always spend time to bond and enjoy all her little ones. They love her so much and really look up to her. We are excited to see what the future holds for her!!
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Photography by Contemporary Portraits

What do you love most about working with kids?
What I love most about working with kids is to be able to form relationships with them and watch them grow. Each child is unique and has their own personality. It is so special to see them progress throughout the year, in their learning or just as a person. It is also very important for me to show them that I care, whether it be helping them with their work or just having a conversation with them.

What activities do you enjoy doing with them?
Through this class, we also have times where we run a pop up daycare/camp, where we spend time watching kids, and creating activities for them to do throughout the day. I enjoy playing games with them whenever they ask us to, and I also enjoy just hanging out with them in general. We also have a time where we create crafts for them to do. It is fun to be able to do that with them and to see all of the different ideas they have.

What is the most challenging part about working as a teacher's aid, and what is the most rewarding?
Since being a teacher’s aid, I've grasped a better understanding of exactly how much work teachers have to do throughout the day. Besides teaching, they have a lot of duties, including making copies or creating activities for students. It can be challenging to maintain everything, so I'm glad that I'm able to help my teacher with a lot of these tasks. That being said, it is so rewarding to be able to learn so much while being a teacher’s aid. I know that it will help me be more prepared and knowledgeable when I start teaching on my own.

What do you hope to do with your degree in early childhood education?
With my degree in early childhood education, I hope to teach either second or third grade. After working with kids in different age ranges, I feel that those two grades are the ones that I’m most drawn to. I’m also looking forward to gaining more experience in the education field and becoming more advanced in my career in the future.

Photography by Contemporary Portraits

​Tell us about your family. Where do you fit in, and where do you stand out?
I come from a very loving and supportive family, and I’m beyond grateful to have them in my life. I don’t have siblings, but I am very close to my cousins, they are like siblings to me. On my mom’s side, I’m the oldest cousin, and I feel that it’s important for me to set a good example for them. I want to be there for them whenever I can and want them to know that I will always be by their side. I was truly blessed with these wonderful little cousins, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

What is a favorite family memory you will never forget?
One of my favorite family memories is a couple years ago. My family and I took a small vacation in Oklahoma. It was during Christmas break, and there were 12 of us sharing one big cabin. I spent the time with my parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. It was so fun spending time with each other in the cold weather, around campfires, and making memories.

What is a family tradition you hope never ends?
My favorite family tradition that I hope continues for many years is during Christmas time. Every year during the beginning of Christmas break, my family comes to my house and we decorate Christmas cookies together. We create fun cookie designs and there are different winners for different categories. We listen to Christmas music, take pictures and play games together.

Photography by Contemporary Portraits

​What is your favorite class this year and what is the most interesting thing you've learned?
Other than Ready Set Teach, my favorite class this year is English. English has always been one of my strengths when it comes to school, and one of my favorite subjects. I have always enjoyed writing, so the subject usually comes naturally to me. The past two years, I have been taking dual credit English, earning college credit for it. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to be able to get ahead in college, by already completing most of my English credit. Surprisingly, taking dual credit English hasn’t been too hard, and I really think it’s worth it.

What will you miss most about high school?
What I'll miss most about high school is seeing most of my friends everyday. Once college starts, a lot of people are going their separate ways, and we won’t be able to see each other as often as we do now. That is why I want to make the most of this last year and create these memories with my friends.

Where are we most likely to find you and your friends during down time and what are you doing?
Most likely, my friends and I will be spending our time shopping together. We love taking turns driving and going to our favorite places. We also love going to Starbucks together. We go there often, either to get work done, or to just get a coffee and hang out, which we do most of the time.

If you could travel anywhere right now today - where would you go, who would you take with you, and what would be the first thing you did there?
If I could travel anywhere in the world right now, it would be anywhere in Europe. There are so many countries in Europe that I want to visit, so it’s so hard to choose just one. All of Europe has always been beautiful to me and it is my dream to travel through the country in the future. Some of the top countries that I would love to experience are England, Greece, Italy, and France. I would want to go with my parents, and I think that the first place I want to explore is London.

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
Something that I think is inspiring from my life is when I was born a micro preemie at 23 weeks. I only had a 5-10 percent chance of survival. I had so many family and friends praying over me, and I really believe that contributed to my healing. I know that I am so lucky to be here today, and because of this, I believe that it pushes me to try harder and work harder to become successful in my future.

Photography by Contemporary Portraits

​What else would you like to talk about?
As I have approached my senior year, it has been my goal to become more open in trying new things and really make the most out of my last year of high school. With that being said, I have made an effort in going to more events, becoming more involved, and making the most out of the little time I have left of my senior year. Applying to this magazine, is an example of that. It is something a little more out of my comfort zone, but I am so excited to see where it takes me!

What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
What I really feel passionate about is the wonderful opportunity I have in the program, Ready Set Teach. Where I am able to strengthen my learning in the education field and get a feel of what it would actually be like when I start my career as a teacher. I'm so grateful for everything that this program has taught me. I not only have learned so much from my teachers that I am interning with, but also from the amazing students that I have been blessed to meet and watch grow throughout the year.

How did you find your photographer, Contemporary Portraits? What was your experience like? What did you love most about it?
I'm fortunate that my mom is a senior photographer, and gets to take my photos as the year goes on. Even though it is my mom who is taking the photos, I'm not the kind of person who usually loves getting pictures taken. But as I continued to do these sessions with her, I have become more comfortable in front of the camera and excited to see the outcomes of these shoots. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to be able to choose locations and outfits for my shoots, and share these memories with my mom my senior year.

If you had nothing to do and all day to do it, where would we find you?
If I had nothing to do all day, I would most likely be spending my time at home. I would be hanging out with my family, or just resting. When I have nothing to do, I like to scroll on social media or watch shows.

What is up next for you that you are super excited about?
Although I am nervous about it, I'm excited to graduate high school and start college. I know so much will change, but I’m excited to start this new chapter of my life. There are so many goals I want to accomplish when it comes to my career and future, and I’m looking forward to taking that step to achieving those goals. In addition, when I start college, I am going to start substitute teaching for elementary schools. I’m greatly looking forward to that and I know it will help me get closer to my teaching career.

Look for Maissa in issue 74 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information on issue 74

click here to nominate an inspiring teen