The reminder to just keep trying when something doesn’t work out the first time and to stay committed to your goal (even when things get tough or busy) has helped me become the person I am today. 

If we all viewed the world as ours and opened our eyes to how complex and interconnected our existence is, I think the level of apathy would significantly drop.

I get to love students who have a vision for a better tomorrow. I get to love families who are frustrated with financial aid and affording “the dream.” I get to and that’s an incredible, incredible gift. 

I hope I continue to be open to learning and evolving. I hope to be an inspiration to others to follow your passion and you won’t feel like you’ve worked a day in your life. 

I feel proud when my community works together. Oklahoma County has many organizations that collaborate to holistically treat our most vulnerable citizens.

Looking back, I have always been an extremely hard worker, and even in the face of adversity and as a single mother for most of my children’s childhoods, I was often working three jobs at a time to make ends meet and make sure our family could be comfortable. 

My dad has always said that, despite life’s circumstances, you get to wake up and decide if you are going to have a good day or a bad day.

My dad has always said that, despite life’s circumstances, you get to wake up and decide if you are going to have a good day or a bad day.

In 2026, we will celebrate 30 years of sustaining an effective, vibrant program serving kids, and it is my joy to continue being involved. 

One year from today, I hope I am living more mindfully in the moment and worrying less about the future (as I’ve learned, it isn’t in my hands anyway).

I hope in a year I am further down that road and that I have created a new passion for people dealing with addiction.

Attitude is everything. I’ve found that when I focus on the positive, even truly difficult things become so much easier.

I was told by my best friend’s mom, “When you get to a place in life where you can help someone else, keep the circle going and help them.” She told me this after I expressed gratitude for helping me after my adoptive mom and dad passed my senior year in high school. God provided her at a very hard time in my life. 

Above all, I am beyond proud of myself for taking back my power and my life in 2018 when I chose my life over my addiction to substances and poor life choices.

I want to worry less and live in the moment more. I want to stop saying “life will slow down next week/next month/next year” and instead enjoy the journey in whatever season of life I’m in.

I am the type of person who sees things through to the end and strives to do everything to the best of my abilities, even if it’s not something I particularly enjoy or it doesn’t turn out how I envisioned. 

I’m kept up at night by things I don’t talk about, but most of them boil down to a lifelong knock-down, drag-out fight with a mainstream cultural norm of selfish apathy masquerading as empathy.

Caring for and supporting my mother while she had cancer and having two babies was a challenging season in life, especially when I want to be there 100 percent for the most important people in my life. 

Ultimately, I aim to be more resilient, more compassionate, and more empowered to inspire and uplift those around me, continuing to educate, empower and encourage individuals to become the best versions of themselves. 

So many good things in my life have come just from having an open, giving hand. Open to give, open to receive.