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American Fork High School teacher Melody Apezteguia didn't always want to be a teacher.
She moved from Wyoming to Utah in 1988 to enroll at Brigham Young University and originally studied business.
After a few courses and the realization she "didn't fit" in business, Apezteguia switched to studying math education.
It meant a lower-paying career, she said, but one in which she could help children realize their learning potential.
"That's my big paycheck right there," she said, "the note at the end of the year that says, 'Thank you for helping me know I could do this.' "
Apezteguia received both a check and thanks Friday, when she was named Utah's 2016 Teacher of the Year at a banquet in Salt Lake City.
The award includes $10,000, an interactive SMART board for her classroom, a laptop computer and an invitation to a national conference where she and other state teachers of the year will meet with the president.
A committee of principals, superintendents and representatives of the state Office of Education, Utah PTA and Utah Education Association selected Apezteguia from a pool of 21 nominees submitted by Utah's school districts and charter schools.
Runners-up included Centennial Middle School English teacher Krista Thornock and EskDale High School music teacher Lois Faber, who were awarded $5,000 and $3,000, respectively.
American Fork High School Principal Dan Weishar said Apezteguia deserves the honor of Teacher of the Year — but there's a certain irony to her receiving the award for the 2015-2016 school year.
As a professional learning community coordinator, Apezteguia is out of the classroom this year, spending her days working with other educators at American Fork High School and throughout Alpine School District.
"This year we have her teaching teachers because she's so good," Weishar said. "She has the uncanny ability to be able to help people better themselves."
A former student, Angela Cox, wrote about her experience in Apezteguia's class as part of the nomination materials for the Teacher of the Year award.
Cox said she routinely got through her math courses with minimal effort and expected the same in Apezteguia's class.
But she was surprised when the teacher pushed her to aim higher.
"Not only did she expect us to learn at a high level," Cox wrote, "she had a unique ability to motivate us to believe that we could learn at a high level."
Apezteguia began her teaching career in Idaho before moving to Texas and finally returning to Utah.
She holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction and recently started a second master's program.
"If one is good," she said, "two is better, right?"
She said a portion of her winnings will go toward her tuition, but she'll use some of the money for an upcoming trip to Europe.
A first-generation American whose family immigrated from Spain, Apezteguia said she's looking forward to visiting family members.
"I love to be able to see my family over there," she said.
As Utah's Teacher of the Year, Apezteguia is in the running for national teacher of the year, and will act as a representative of the state's educators.
Education is rewarding, she said, giving teachers the opportunity to influence and change lives.
But, she added, teachers are under a lot of pressure, with new laws pushing for accountability and staff shortages resulting from fewer graduates with teaching degrees.
"There's a lot of growing and increasing scrutiny and demands to improve," she said. "Those are all good things, but sometimes there's not a lot of support here to help make that happen."