What makes you a Difference Maker?    

What makes me a Difference Maker is that I care. I will speak up when the need arises. I can shed light on both sides of an issue without being offended by someone else's opinion. I’m friendly with all those I meet and try to help those who seem wayward. I’m not easily deterred from my goals. I seek to strengthen bonds within our community and actively engage with it. I try my best to leave small seeds of hope in every soldier, friend and fellow citizen I meet. I want to show that we are not just harsh or gruff veterans of some foreign war, but armored knights who have forgotten how to remove our armor.

Highlight your campus achievements:

My campus achievements are very few for I have yet to make my year mark; I started at UM-Dearborn in May 2016. In October, I saw the lack of leadership the Student Veterans Association had and inquired as to the needs of it. Our adviser at the time, Dr. Will Emerson, asked if I’d like to take the president seat and I agreed. I hit the ground running the moment the paperwork was finished. Seeing the lack of activities that were planned, I began to see what we could do. In the process, I started to take up the cause to fill our ranks on the executive board. 

Highlight your leadership experiences both on and off campus:

At the age of 19, I was in charge of a squad of soldiers while deployed in Iraq. We did repairs and maintained all of the medic’s vehicles. I was the youngest in the squad of five and not the highest ranked, either. When I see the need for someone to lead and those who are supposed to, don’t, I fill those needs. I did this with the Student Veterans Association here at the school. We need people who do more than just motivate—we need people who also have the knowledge and strength to guide those who want to become leaders themselves. This is my strength as a leader.

What is your dream career and/or long term life goal?

My dream career is to be a mom and an artist. In society, my dream career would be developing the newest cars. I’ve reached two of my three dream careers. I’m currently working to succeed in my third, alas, but I still have a lot of classes to finish before that dream is realized. In the meantime, I take great pleasure in raising my daughter to be a strong and kind person. I enjoy the moments I get to paint or draw or doodle. I’d like to see my dream career somewhere possibly overseas or in a part of the states with mountains in my backyard.

What was your most defining moment at UM-Dearborn?

My most defining moment would have to be coming to UM-Dearborn. I’d taken a year off from school and getting started again was very difficult; I had a lot of resistance going back. I was struggling with the start of a divorce and the loss of a job, all while trying to find a new place to live—I felt overwhelmed with everyday life. I didn’t want to fail, which made it so hard to start, because everything else in my life was falling apart. I realized at that moment I could never fail if I didn’t start, but also, that I could never succeed.