A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher is in the semifinals of a national teaching contest. Katie Lock, who teaches media to third through fifth grades at Billingsville Cotswold Elementary, is among 128 teachers competing for the title of America’s Favorite Teacher.

"At heart, I've always wanted to be an educator," Lock told CLTtoday. "Both of my parents are retired teachers. My first-grade teacher was an amazing woman who made school fun and a place I wanted to be. Now, I get to make children laugh and get excited about learning."

The competition features life-changing prizes: $25,000, an all-inclusive trip for two to Hawaii, a feature article and photoshoot in Readers Digest, and a virtual school assembly with Bill Nye the Science Guy.

"I firmly believe that my students meeting Bill Nye would generate a positive core memory for my students," Lock said. "He is like Disney in the sense that he educates and entertains all ages in a simple skit. He makes curiosity a necessity, but asking questions is the beginning to finding a solution. He is the role model for asking questions, finding answers, asking more questions, and encouraging people to take action."

If Lock wins the prize money, she plans to build the library's collection with new releases and books that represent all students + expand the "makerspace" in the library — a place where students are able to design, engineer, construct, and code.

"I know I am teaching future clothing designers but I need some coding robots, LEGO projects, and architecture games to get children started," Lock said. "This is where lots of students begin to explore personal interests and learn how to become the big game changers of the world."

Here's where you come in. Everyone can vote for free + pay for additional votes to keep Lock in the competition. Voting for the Final 16 ends Thursday, April 24 at 10 p.m. EST.