Real Life
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1990s
Overall high school experience
7/10. I am aware of what an excellent education I received and attribute much of that to the school culture and culture at large that valued education. However, I always felt on the outside of everyone else who seemed to be more academic, more motivated, and more financially privileged than myself.
Grades in high school
A's and B's
Favorite subjects
Engilsh, History / Social Studies, Performing Arts
Struggled with...
Math. I started Jr. High in advanced math but got a C, fell behind and never recovered.
Favorite extracurricular
Religious
Life since high school
“To me, being successful means...
Discovering, accepting, and celebrating who I am and my unique potential to influence the world around me.”
Attended college / university at
I went to Foothill, transferred to UCSD and majored in Anthropology. I studied in Greece, traveled Europe, and got married after I graduated. We moved to the East Coast for 3.5 years, started careers, bought a house, and moved to Seattle in 2006.
Post-graduate education or training
I went to grad school to get my teaching certificate in special education, which I was also teaching at the time. I wasn't able to finish because my husbands job moved us to Seattle.
Places lived in US
California, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming
Current occupations / past occupations
Youth ministry, bed and breakfast manager, aide for boy with autism, special education teacher, stay at home mom, assistant for worship and creative arts lead.
Industries I've worked in
- Wholesale Trade
- Administrative and Support Services
- Educational Services
- Arts, Education, and Recreation
- Ministry
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes and no. I studied anthropology because I loved people and wanted to learn as much as I could about them. Working with kids with autism particularly utilized my education in unexpected ways as they have a sort of behavioral culture. I continue to be someone who observes, analyzes, and draws theories about whatever environment I find myself in. I didn't choose my major based upon potential career opportunities and it has worked out fine for me. The field still reveals itself as the perfect avenue for me at the time.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
I never anticipated teaching but it was thoroughly rewarding and stretched me in ways I hadn't imagined.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Discovering, accepting, and celebrating who I am and my unique potential to influence the world around me.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I used to have a vague sense of what success was. Never being particularly career or money driven, I always tended to relish the moment and dream of the future. I had pictures in my mind of who I wanted to be as a person, not necessarily what I was doing.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Giving birth to three kids naturally, and doing my best to raise them well.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
Buying a house in 2006 because it was a "wise" decision at the time, only to foreclose on it a few years later.
An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
My father undergoing a heart transplant essentially, living with our family for a year and passing shortly after. I was hesitant to take him in because he wasn't easy to live with but I would do it a million times over again. Time with loved ones, even the challenging ones, trumps selfish comfort in the end. If we didn't take him in I would have regretted it the rest of my life and would have never known the treasure in making memories with my kids and their Grandpa.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
My childhood neighborhood by El Carmelo. Rich with memories.
