I was born during a visit to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1983. My mother grew up there but went to college in Charlottesville at The University of Virginia, where she met my father. When I strong enough to make to the trip back home to Alexandria, we did. One year later we bought a house in Reston, Va. This is where the hearsay stops and my personal memory kicks in.
We relocated to Richmond from Reston in 1992. I was 8 years old and full of energy. I made friends easily and become popular in the neighborhood. In the year 2000, a second relocation landed my father, sister and I in Chicago, IL. My mother stayed in the home we owned due to complications she experienced in cold weather situations.
I graduated high school in June of 2002 from Oak Park River Forest High School in Oak Park, IL. I had every intention of going to college. I wasn’t sure what to major in but I thought it would be a good idea to go…someday. I could see myself as a businessman and I was great in physics and math.
I went into the workforce as a women’s shoe salesman at Lord and Taylor in Oak brook, IL. A friend of mine had talked with her hiring manager on my behalf after a long conversation about how I wanted to move out of my parent’s home. I got the job and was hard at work one day when I got the news that my dad would be transferring back to Richmond, Va. My mom was there, my sister was at Duke University and I was about to be alone in Chicago with very knowledge or support. I decided to stay put and keep working.
My parents allowed me to stay in the apartment we lived in together for over twelve months before they stopped paying the rent. I was forced to either move back to Richmond or get a better paying job for which I had only a high school diploma and very little experience. I landed a job serving in a restaurant in Melrose Park, IL. This was a better paying job but not enough to fulfill my needs. A good friend, who was also a co-worker and I became roommates. It was only one month before I knew I needed to come back to VA. I got a plane ticket and came back to Richmond around April of 2004. I started working at a local car dealership and made a little money but not much. I remember a restaurant my parents told me about less than a mile away from our home. It was a fine dining establishment and lead servers made really good money showing top notch service ability.
Once I got hired I made the decision to work non-stop until I was the top server in the entire restaurant. In June of 2006 I received that promotion and I started college at J. Sergeant Reynolds. At work, I led my team to receive the highest honor of first choice in private dining room parties for 9 months consecutively. I had surpassed my goals entirely and I was happy.
I started dating a Richmond native and fellow server friend of mine. When I heard we were pregnant I left school and started working more hours. In September of 2006, we received devastating news. It was hard to recover from the loss of a child. I went back to work and left school in 2007 due to stress overload.
The President Supervalu in the eastern region was a regular guest at the Copper Grill. He wanted me to have more stable income. I agreed and he called in a favor to get me an interview at Ukrop’s, now Martins Foods. I was placed in the manager in training program and given an outstanding benefits package. Not long after I was hired there were rumors about Ukrops selling the company. The manager in training program dissipated and the company sold a little over a year and half later.
I started reading a lot around this time. Thinking back on it, I must have known subconsciously that I was in need of more education. I read books on Philosophy, Persuasion, Sales, Psychology, Spirituality, Anthropology and Sociology. The positive shock of all this new knowledge created within me an awesome desire for autonomy and even more knowledge. I was determined to learn more and succeed in all areas.
I worked for Martins for a couple years and became disheartened by the lack of upward mobility. I have always been in love with photography so I started a company. I left Martins in February of 2012 and my company became incorporated in March of 2012. I worked tirelessly to get clients in the door to no avail. I had done my research on business, taking classes and I had detailed business plans but this wasn’t enough. I made the mistake of leaving something definite to pursue a dream and I realized through looking for jobs that I needed to a Bachelors degree to qualify for 99% of the good ones.
I bounced back in September of 2012 when I began working as a photographer for Lifetouch National School Studios. Lifetouch is in 42 states and has given me an even stronger interest in photography. I have the freedom to go to Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies partially because of the freedom in my job. I can transfer almost anywhere.
I have been looking for housing in the DMV area for a few months now. Moving back to the area is becoming an exciting experience. I plan to work for Lifetouch and attend classes in the evening. After I receive my Bachelors I will be going to Law School, hopefully at Georgetown. All the while I will be honing my photography and leadership skills. I want to retire in San Diego surrounds by my loved ones and with the security of a college education. That way I can know I will always be needed…somewhere.
