Growing up in the Sunshine State
Hometown
I'm from Palm Beach Gardens Florida, where there are more tourists than residents. Palm Beach Gardens is located in South Florida about 15 minutes from the beach which makes it a hot spot for Snow Birds (retired people that come down from the North just for the winter). So often it feels as though I'm living in a vacation destination. Yet this was where I grew up, and this is where I call home.
My Family
I have a crazy family, and I wouldn't change them for the world. There's
never a silent moment when the whole family is home and I love it! My
mom is a nurse and my dad is a doctor so there is definitely a nurturing
side to them, even if they never let us stay home sick from school. My
mom has been having major empty nest syndrome every since I left the
house and pretty much sends me a card or care package every day, so I
guess she loves me. My dad, well he now has the luxury of going outside
of the house without me commenting on his outfit or corny jokes, but I
think he misses it.
I'm the baby of the family; in every sense of the word. My sister Tish is eighteen years older than
me and my brother Adam is five years
older than me, so we have quite large gaps in the family. My sister went
to College just as I was born so I never really lived with her, but that
doesn't keep her from stealing my clothes every now and then. My brother and I
grew up fighting constantly and I had several broken bones to prove it. However, now that we are all grown up the three of us have become very
close. My sister uses me to babysit for her two kids as often as
possible, and I give my brother unsolicited girl advice whenever I get a
chance. They now both live
in Orlando so I miss them tons, but we see each other as often as
possible. My sister is an Elementary School teacher, which is part of
the reason I made my choice to become an Elementary Education Major. My
Brother is a photographer for wakeboarding magazines but I suspect that
he uses that as a cover up to spend all day on the boat, you can judge
for yourself at
alliance wakeskate.
My Schools
I went to a private Christian Elementary and Middle School called St. Mark's which I thought of as my second home since it was also my church. I like to think this is the place that molded me into what I am today. I would not have the same beliefs and values if my parents had never sent me to this school, and I will forever be indebted to the teachers and students that I learned from during my eight years there. I met some of my best friends at St. Mark's and I still continue to go to church there.
I went to William T. Dwyer High School, a huge public school for my next four years. This is where I finally got out of my sheltered lifestyle and opened up my horizons. I was in the Finance Academy, which is a magnet within the school, so I still had that small environment that I was used to. However, I felt more exposed to the real world and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here I met a lot of amazing people while loading on as many AP classes as possible in my schedule.
I became a well rounded student and participated in many extracurricular activities. I was the secretary of the National Honor Society and Quill and Scroll. As well as being an editor for the school yearbook. Yet dance is what took up the majority of my time outside of school. I took ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, and character at Jupiter Dance Academy and spent about 12 hours a week there, more when it was close to recital or competition season. My favorite part about dancing was participating in Tremaine Dance competitions each year.