I was born in Chico and raised in Durham. I had a great childhood despite the fact we were living essentially in poverty. beneath of means. When I was in high school, my Dad decided to leave my Mom so we lost our house had to move to Chico. This led me to Fairview High School, which allowed me to work and attend school.  I was then able to pay some of the bills and help my Mom raise my nephew. At Fairview, I learned valuable job and life skills. I got my first job in a clothing store and worked in retail during high school. When I graduated from Fairview, I went on to attend Butte College for one semester and realized I didn't like having to take classes that weren't related to the schooling I wanted to do. I also really wasn't sure what career was a good fit for me. I found out about the ROP Dental assisting program and, after having a lot of dental work done and, having braces, I realized that I had a real passion for dentistry. I had been blessed to get my braces through a program that helped low-income families. Having braces, changed my life because I was so self-conscious about my smile that I would cover my mouth. I ended up becoming a Registered Dental Assistant. I loved the ROP classes that I took. One of our Soroptimist sisters was my teacher, Pam Baldwin.

 

Growing up without a lot wasn't so bad because it helped me find my husband. My Mom and I could eat at La Comida cheaper than buying groceries, so we were regulars. My husband and I got to know each other and, he asked me to come to work for him. I was kind of rude and said, I didn't want to work with food. But life has a way of working out, and I eventually went to work at La Comida. About 8 months later Mike and I started dating, and 1 month later we became roommates. I was one month shy of my 20th birthday and we have been together ever since. We got married 3 years later and started our family, we have two children together Paige who is 23 and Nick who is 20 and, my husband has a Daughter, Ricki, who is 37.  I also have a nephew Nathan that I had a huge part of raising, who is 40.

 

I started volunteering when my kids were in elementary school and met this amazing lady Miss Bonnie Chapman, we got to know each other and started working together on different fundraisers and, her Girl Scouts would sell cookies at La Comida. We became great friends. I had not heard of Soroptimist until Bonnie asked me to make some cards for Soroptimists Shut-In Program. After I made the cards Bonnie invited me to lunch so the club could thank me and the next thing, I knew I was signing up. That was six years ago. I love Soroptimist because I have a passion for giving back to such a fantastic community. I want to thank Bonnie, for introducing me to Soroptimist.

 

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