As an aspiring educator, taking advice and guidance from successful mentors is a very important aspect of my education. I had the pleasure of engaging in a session with Dr. Erin Horne, the AssistantDean for Assessment and Professional Education in the NC State College of Education. She also serves as the Assistant Director of Professional Education and Director of Research for SUCCEED. Dr. Horne helped me become more confident and excited about becoming a teacher in North Carolina. During her session, she explained the various ways teachers can demonstrate leadership, which is the first of six NC Professional Teaching Standards. She shared that teachers can show leadership right in their classrooms by advocating for their students and coworkers. She touched on the question that many people ask themselves all the time…”Is teaching a profession?” Of course, I think so or else I would not be here, aspiring to be a teacher in the very near future…. But she answered this question with great evidence and support. She made it very clear that it is a profession of reflection and constant change in practice. She describes teaching as an ongoing process of growth and development through experience. . I found her claim about professional growth most interesting. People always tell students to be well rounded and do things outside of the classroom. That is what they are saying for teachers to do in the professional growth topic. We should strive to advocate for our profession and help others to see it as a valuable entity of societal development. As I reflect on my current experiences and strive to be a lifelong learner, I am setting a goal to be a very reflective practitioner in my career as a teacher. Over time, I hope that I can be a voice for the profession and guide others into advocacy, just as her mark has been made for me.