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Tuesday December 27, 1983 in snowy North Dakota

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I am the third of four children. Unfortunately, my oldest sibling, Michael, passed before I was born. For functional purposes, I am the middle child and only female born to my parents. We moved to Washington state when I was around three years of age and I lived in the Spokane Valley area for my first year in Washington before moving to the Tri-Cities.

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Photo from ~1996 after I had mono lol (I thought I was fat)

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Throughout young life both my parents worked full time, leaving me and my brothers to our own devices. We were what are called 'latchkey kids.' I didn't always make the best decisions and I did not always have the best outcomes. I attended:

Eastgate Elementary school

Park Middle School

I graduated from Kennewick High school in 2002.

At this point in my life, I was not looking to further my education. I worked jobs at places like Griggs, Movie Gallery, and at a tanning salon.

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In 2009 I found out I was pregnant with my daughter Gabriella. I had her in May of 2010. My daughter gave me a sense of purpose beyond myself. I signed up to take my college assessment for Columbia Basin College when I was pregnant with her and actually ended up having my daughter the same day I was supposed to take the assessment. I am and have been a single parent the entire time, which can be challenging. I graduated with my AA degree in 2014 and having my daughter there with me when I graduated meant everything to me. I did all prerequisite courses for nursing but decided that is not where I needed to be so took a long break from college before starting again in 2023.

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Many things that have happened in my life have led me to where I am today. Most stories are not happy or great, so I do not put them in my story. Social work is the career I belong in. I am currently trying to balance being a single parent, working full time and going to school. My current hope for the future is to graduate and move to Canada with my daughter.