Thank you! ....

It is such a pleasure to be here today to receive this award. 
It is especially meaningful because it recognizes not only my high school
successes but also it represents my future.  As I begin college this fall I
will enroll as an elementary education major and I can hardly wait to become
one of those exceptional people who make such a difference in the lives of
students.  I hope that someday my career will lead me to membership in an
organization with the outstanding reputation that Phi Delta Kappa has
enjoyed at the University of Kentucky for the past 75 years.  I congratulate
you on that achievement!

As I think back over the past 13 years, I can immediately recall many
teachers who have made a lasting impression on me. In fact, the main reason
that I believe I feel called into this profession was one special lady, Miss
Gibson.  You see, Miss Gibson not only taught 4th and 5th grade, she also
cared about me as a very shy, very little, almost anxious 9 year old.  Next
to my parents, she was the most significant person in my life and I trusted
her completely.  I can remember how sad I was the day I finally said
good-bye and left for middle school.  However, during those three years, I
again experienced a similar kind of support from many of those teachers.
Even in high school, where we are supposed to be all grown up and
independent, it has been so helpful when many of my teachers have expressed
interest in my personal life and shown that they cared about more than just
my grades.

I genuinely believe that great teachers are called into this profession�it�s
almost like they are born to be teachers.  I�m sure it�s possible to teach
someone how to teach better, but I don�t believe you can teach someone how
to be a teacher.  As I look into the audience, I can imagine that many of
you have been a Miss or Mr. Gibson to many young boys and girls throughout
your careers.  Even providing this scholarship for someone like me is a sign
of the ways in which you, as educators, continue to care for others.  It�s
just the nature of a teacher!

So, for all whose lives you have touched and will continue to influence, I
thank you on their behalf.  And today, I offer my thanks for this
scholarship.  I am sincerely grateful!

                  --Casey Humkey