Sheyvette Dinkens

I wasn’t initially interested in being a teacher and didn’t intend to enter the field of education. For many years, I worked on founding and running a nonprofit organization in Topeka, Kansas: Women Empowerment. The organization was built to inspire, lift and bring local women together.

Then one day, after relocating to the Kansas City Metro, I was approached by a teacher at Wyandotte High School, and she recruited me to leave my position and pursue a career in education. My bright personality and ability to connect with and relate to others were assets in both jobs, so those skills helped me transition smoothly into my new career.

Today, I’m a business educator at Wyandotte High School, where I help students explore their career options, inspire them to take risks and encourage them to give back to their communities. Since advocacy was such a large part of my job in the nonprofit world, I’m able to speak up for my students when they need me. Planning and fundraising were also key parts of my previous role, which now translates to creating curriculum and writing lesson plans for the classroom.

I love teaching because it allows me to influence so many students and help them see the beautiful parts of themselves that they might have a hard time finding. This career path is an amazing way to pay it forward and support students in the same spot where I once sat.

Sheyvette Dinkens is a high school teacher in Wyandotte, Kansas. She is the 2023-2024 Midwest Concrete Materials HirePaths Teacher Ambassador.