-
Birth
I was introduced to life as a cultural being on the day of my birth, January 7, 1981. A baby's life is powerfully influenced by the environment it is born in to. As reflected by the image, I was born in the 80's. There were no cell phones. There was no internet. Life was simple for a middle class family in a small town. I was born the third of four children. My parents worked tirelessly to feed and clothe us all. We were happy and loved in our simple life. -
Early Childhood
Before beginning kindergarten, my days were spent at the nursery my parents owned. After high school, my father earned a horticulture degree from Texas A&M. He built Gonzales Wholesale Nursery from the ground up. Since my mother handled the accounting aspect of the business, my siblings and I spent our days pulling weeds, potting plants, and playing "King of the Mountain" on the giant piles of dirt and sand used to make soil. During this time I learned the true value of hard work. -
Public Education
For 13 years, I attended public school in the Gonzales Independent School District. School molded my personality socially and academically. Around the fifth grade, I became aware that who I was at home was not who I was at school. At home, my siblings picked one me, calling me dumb as children often do. At school, I received the Principal's Award for Top Female Student. I was also gifted socially and had many friends. I became an individual apart from my role in the family. -
Religion
The church played a huge role in my adolescence. My mother was a devout member of the Church of Christ. My father was a faithful Catholic. They agreed that church was essential to the moral development of their children, so one week my siblings and I would attend church with my father, then next with my mother. When we reached high school, we were then allowed to choose. This experience opened my eyes to diversity in religion and allowed room for spiritual growth and freedom. -
Graduation
Graduating high school marked the end of my childhood and the beginning of my adulthood. Though my father had attended college after high school, my mother had given up pursuing a degree in lieu of starting of a family. My older sister had done the same. When it was my turn, I took the same path. I was engaged within months of graduating, married one year later, and a mother one year after that. I fulfilled what was expected of the females in my family, yet I was strangely unfulfilled. -
College
I was incredibly fortunate to be able to stay at home and raise my three children. I love my kids with my whole heart, but as they began to enter school, I realized how bored and stagnant my life had become. I needed something for myself, so in August of 2007, I became the first woman in my family to attend college. I left the path my mother and sister had taken and began a journey of my own. I found incredible pride and strength in this decision. -
Divorce
Attending college did not come without cost. As I grew more into myself and found my true passions, I grew apart from my husband. Coming from a religious family with small town values, divorce was unheard of. In the end, I chose to make myself happy. I did not believe that staying married for the children was in their best interest. Not if I was miserable. A happy mother is what children truly need. I became a happy, college-educated, single woman. -
Teaching Career
In August of 2012, I began my teaching career. Attending college changed my life. I valued education, especially as a female. I treasured my new independence. I was proud of the courage I had found within myself to create the life I had always wanted. In my teaching career, I found balance and purpose for my life. I found my calling. -
Graduate School
In teaching, I found my true purpose. I found a deeply fulfilling career that brought great joy to my life. Not long ago, I decided that I needed to help students do the same. No matter where they come from, or what their family influence is, I want them to know they have a choice. In 2016, I began pursuing a degree in school counseling. As a school counselor, I will be able to use what I've learned throughout my life to help others find their purpose and live their best life. -
Present
Currently, I am the mother of three amazingly, fantastic children. Dylan is a junior in high school, Logan is a sophomore, and Alyssa is in seventh grade. I work full-time as a teacher at Gonzales High School. I also take graduate classes that require hours of researching, writing, and thinking. I am tired, but I am also happy and fulfilled. There is no greater blessing than the exhaustion of achieving your dreams.
