The Making

Where are you from?
-Born in South Carolina
-Lived along east coast, Sacramento, Phoenix, NM, TX and CO.

What things do you remember about your childhood?
-Last time seeing my father
-Sunday Family dinners and get together
-Growing up fast and mother kicking me out of the house at 17
-Surgeries and being sick a lot

What were my education experience?
-K through 11th grade in High School in South Carolina
-Moved to Delaware to finish school
-Moved to New Mexico for College at NMSU
-Joined Army and continued online education with UMUC and Ashford University

Who were important people in your life?
-My uncle who pasted away with cancer
-My grandparents and mother
-My younger sister
-My best friend who pasted away with AIDS

What are my hobbies?
-Softball teams with church
-Basketball in High School
-Drawing and Painting
-Playing drums

What are jobs I have had?
-My first job was at age 15. It was at a local restaurant.
-I moved to Delaware and went back to school and waitressed.
-Moved back to South Carolina, worked at a Warehouse and also Data Entry
-Moved to New Mexico, started college and worked at the local Detention Center
-Joined the Army

Goals?
-Personal Goals- Attend church more, be a better partner, lose weight
-Professional Goals- Perform all of my duties sufficiently until I get out of the Army.
-Academic Goals- Finish my bachelors while active duty. After I ETS out of the Army, get my
Master's Degree.

The Making

The Making of Myself
Growing up fast can be difficult but in the end we all learn valuable lessons to carry on throughout our life. My life has not been easy and I had to learn the hard way. I was one of the few that had to grow up quicker than others. I got abandoned by my father, disowned by my mother and went through extreme stressful situations at a young age. Even though I have went through alot, I believe they happened for a reason. God wouldn't put anything on my plate, if I could not handle it. I have grown into the woman I am today because of my past and I would not change it, for anything. I was born in December of 1983 in Anderson, South Carolina. My mother named me after a robin bird that landed on her hospital room window. At birth, I had a rare liver disease and had to undergo emergency surgery. The doctors called me a miracle baby because of the high death rate percentage. During most of my life, I stayed in South Carolina. I went through 11th grade and then moved to Delaware. I transferred high schools, found a job, got a car and my own apartment. After September 11, 2001 happened, I ended up moving closer to home. I lived in Georgia, Sacramento and Phoenix until I got accepted to NMSU. I then moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico. I completed two full years at NMSU and had a job as a correctional officer. In 2007, my mother got sick and I moved back to South Carolina. I had to provide for my mother and when she started to get better, I decided to join the Army. I enlisted in 2009 and am currently stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado. I am not happy where I am in my career right now, that is why I am continuing my education with Ashford University.
As I was growing up, I do not remember much from my childhood. I believe it is because I was forced to grow up fast. I remember the last time saw my father. It was my when I was eight years old. He came to my mother's house with a teddy bear. He said he was sorry for leaving me and my mom. He told me he always wanted to see me but was scared because he didn't know if I hated him for abandoning us. I never saw him after that. I remember being sick and having to stay at the Ronald Mcdonalds House. I remember seeing my favorite wrestler and being on television. I think that was one of the most interesting things I have done. When I turned 17, my mother kicked me out of the house. She found out that I was a lesbian and deserted me. It was a extremely hard time in my life. Luckily, I had good friends and family that stayed loyal by me. After two years of being away with no contact from my mother, she apologized and asked me to return home. She finally began to accept my lifestyle and I moved back home. Needless to say, I had to grow up quick because of the hard decisions I had faced.
My educational experiences could have been extensive, if I had not experienced some infortunate events. I would have definately been farther with my educational goals. Like I mentioned earlier, I went to school most of my life in South Carolina. I started kindergarten at age three and went through 11th grade. When I moved to Delaware, I just had to finish my senior year. Attending New Mexico State University, was an experience I will never forget. I meet so many close friends and learned so much about myself. I wish that things would have turned out differently and I could have graduated from NMSU, but things happen for a reason. I moved back home, joined the army and now I am working on my Bachelors in Information System. Before attending Ashford University, I was enrolled in UMUC in Korea. I obtained by Associate's Degree and I'm working towards my future education goals.
I have meet so many people in my life. I would have to say the most influential person was my uncle Steve. He was there for me during my toughest times. He encouraged me to be the person I am now and stuck by me when no one else did. Last year, he passed away with cancer. I was in Korea at the time of his death and it was very difficult for me. There's not a day that goes by, that I do not think about him. I remembered everything he taught me and I try to apply it to my everyday life now. My grandparents are very important to me, as well. I have always wanted the love that my grandparents show each other. My mother has come a long way. She is responsible for me being the woman I am today. She is a strong, independent woman. I grew up following in her footsteps and see myself doing the same in the future. I would consider my way of learning from my uncle and mother as a observational learning. I saw how and what they did and played follow the leader. Albert Bandura theory stated that, "people learn and behave based on observing and imitating models-that is, by watching other people." (Bandura, 1977)
In my free time, I love to draw and paint. It helps to relieve my stress. During high school, I played basketball. I was usually the tallest player on the team, so it put the game to our advantage. When I was younger, I played the drums for our local church. I have not played in several years, but I really loved to help preach the gospel with music. I think music can affect everyone in one way or another. I currently play softball for a local team. It helps to relieve stress and keep me active.
I have had such a variety in my job titles. When I was 15, I got a job working at a local restaurant. I worked there until I moved to Delaware. In Delaware, I finished high school and tried out my people skills while waitressing. When I moved back home to South Carolina, I obtained a position as a shipping and recieving clerk and fork lift operator. When I moved to New Mexico, I decided I wanted a little excitement in my life. I applied at the local Detention Center. It was pretty intense being around inmates everyday but I now have a profound respect for officers. They risk their lives dealing with crazy inmates. After returning home to South Carolina, I ended up joining the Army. This was even more dangerous and stressful. "Military families deal with issues common to all families, including childcare, elder care, education, parenting concerns and career choices. However, military families also are subjected to unique stressors, such as repeated relocations that often include international sites, frequent seperations for service members from famlies and subsequent reorganizations of family life during reunions." (Drummet, A.R., Coleman, M., Cable, S. ,2003). I decided that my next job will be something I actually enjoy. I am hoping my education I recieve at Ashford University, will be a stepping stone for my happiness.
Through out my life, I realized I have wasted many years. I am setting goals for myself and hoping to fulfill them. I plan on attending church more often. With me traveling alot, it puts a burden on my church attending. I am thankful that my home church has put an online podcast so that I may view their services on a regular basis. I am also wanting to lose some weight before the end of the year. I know this will be difficult because of the holidays but I am willing to sacrifice some holiday fixings for a few pounds. I also want to be a better partner. I realize my mistakes from my past relationships and I am working on fixing them. My professional goal would be surviving another deployment and performing my duties sufficiently until I can finally get out of the Army. My academic goal is to finish my Bachelors while I am on active duty. I plan on using my GI bill after I ETS out of the Army to obtain my Master's degree. I look forward to reaching all of my goals and my happiness in my near future.

References

Witt, G.A., & Mossler, R.A. (2010). Adult Development and Life Assessment.
Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUPSY202.10.2

Drummet, A.R., Coleman, M., Cable, S. (2003). Military Families under Stress: Implications for
Family Life Education. National Council on Family Relations. 52(3), 279.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3700279