EVERY CHILD DESERVES A CHAMPION
Growing up as one of five sisters, I watched my siblings bring home excellent grades while I struggled to hold onto a C average. I studied harder than anyone knew — not because I wasn't trying, but because I learned differently. They called it a learning disability. It wasn't until years later that it was discovered I had dyslexia and short-term memory.
The message I received at home was painful but clear: without top grades, college wasn't for me. And without college, success was out of reach. I carried those words like a weight. But I refused to let them be the last word. I went to college anyway — and not just to get by. I earned a double major in Art and Elementary Education.
Standing at graduation, I had proved something important, not just to others, but to myself. The child who wasn't supposed to make it had made it.
Life, however, had more lessons to teach me. Teaching jobs were scarce due to budget cuts, so I pivoted. I built a thriving career as an interior decorator, spending over 30 years turning spaces into places people loved. It was creative, it was fulfilling — and it was mine.
Then something quietly called me back to the classroom. I began substitute teaching, moving through different grades and settings, until I found the place that felt like home: special education. Children who learn differently. Children who, like me, just needed someone to believe in them.
That is why I am running for Lee County School Board - District 4. Because I have sat at those desks. I know what it feels like to be counted out — and I know what one encouraging adult can change. Every child in this district deserves a champion who understands their journey from the inside.