It is commonly accepted that future art teachers bring well-formed ideas about teaching to their art teacher education, including what good art teachers and good art teaching are like. Over the years, these ideas are built up through experiences that include interacting with art teachers, hearing ways people talk about art and art education, and experiencing what it feels like to be an art student (Grauer, 1998; Lortie, 1975). It seems reasonable to assume that when people want to become art teachers, they use their ideas about what good art teachers are like to set goals for the future that contribute to nascent art teacher identities. This article describes research analyzing how a group of prospective art educators describe their goals as future art educators. "Prospective art educators" are defined here as those who hope to become art educators but who have not yet become preservice art educators in contrast to "preservice art educators," who have entered their formal art teacher educations. To carry out this research, Beth Thomas analyzed college application essays written by prospective art educators applying as freshmen to an undergraduate art education program in the eastern United States. The research asks two basic questions: (1) How do prospective art teachers express goals and future identities related to becoming art educators? and (2) In what ways do prospective art teachers' goals reflect art education discourses? The findings seem to indicate supporting preservice art educators in critical self-reflection and taking on broader perspectives are imperative. Additionally, the study suggests that prospective art educators' emergent identities are strongly influenced by past admired art teachers.