Sometimes your future starts with a spark at a young age.

The spark for Shaina Brenner was provided by her fourth grade teacher, Nancy Nash, at Boothbay Region Elementary School in the 1990s.

Brenner, who won a $25,000 Milken Education Award in October as a second grade teacher at Elms Elementary School in Jackson, New Jersey, said after receiving her award that her inspiration for joining the profession was Nash.

"My journey to become a teacher began many, many years ago as a young child, said Brenner during an interview with the Register. "I would come home from school and play teacher with imaginary students around our dining room table. Not long after, I met my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Nash, who is the epitome of teaching excellence. She made me feel so special and important, especially in a time when I doubted myself. I knew I wanted to grow up and be just like her."

"Shaina Brenner was always a go-getter, a unique fourth grader," said Nash, who now resides in South Carolina near her daughter and son-in-law, Amy and Brian Lewis. "I was glad to be able to spend the year with her and other students as well. She loved being in school and we stayed in touch over the years. If I was to call someone special, it was Shaina. She had the passion to become a teacher."

Nash, formerly of Edgecomb, taught fourth grade from 1987 to 1997 and kindergarten from 1997 to 2010, according to her daughter.

Brenner, whose parents owned White Anchor Inn/North Star Motel in Boothbay, attended BRES from kindergarten through grade five before the family moved in 1994.

"My mom and dad were always my greatest supporters," said Brenner. "They helped me pay for school (and raise my son), and my mom helped me set up my very first classroom. She was also my cheerleader during some of the difficult moments in my first years of teaching. My passion and dedication weren’t always met with acceptance. I know how much my parents wanted the world to see how extremely devoted of an educator I am. The Milken Family Foundation helped make that into a reality.

"Mrs. Nash left such an impression on me. I wanted to be just like her. I would go home and pretend to be Mrs. Nash in front of my family. She was so wonderful. I remember her kindness toward her students. After recess she would set us down on the rug and read to us."

Brenner said she remembers contacting Nash when she went into teaching.

"Now, when anyone asks me why I went into teaching, I tell them all about Mrs. Nash and my goal is to impress my students enough to perhaps inspire some of them to go on to teach, like Mrs. Nash did for me," said Brenner.

Brenner received the Milken award during an assembly at her school. The announcement surprised her and her students.

According to the press release on the award, Brenner received the award "for her outstanding and innovative teaching, exceptional leadership and dedication to excellence through professional development ... She is known as an innovator with a passion for preparing her young students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Shaina goes to great lengths to create an accurate picture of each child’s strengths and areas for improvement, providing students with a rubric and individualized checklist with expectations for each unit. Her students thrive: For the past three years, 70% of her class ended the year reading above grade level, with 90% showing mastery of state math standards."

“Shaina Brenner personifies the qualities of a Milken Educator. She prioritizes her students’ needs and develops creative strategies to engage and prepare them for success in our rapidly changing world,” said Dr. Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Educator Awards and a 1994 Indiana Milken Educator, the release said. “Her dedication to improving the lives of her students, her passion for her community and her proven track record of leadership are just some of the many reasons she was honored today. I look forward to the contributions she will provide to our national Milken Educator Network.”

The prestigious national award is known as the "Oscars of Teaching" and the cash prize is unrestricted, meaning Brenner can spend the money however she wants.

With the award, she said she thought she would help her son get a car since he recently got his driver’s license and, if possible, take a trip to Paris.

“Mrs. Nash’s sister lived in Belgium and I always was interested in visiting Belgium and France,” said Brenner, who earned a bachelor’s in communications from Rutgers University in 2007.

For more information about Brenner and the Milken Awards, visit https://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/educators/view/shaina-brenner