I have mentioned before in the summary about me in the book that I have been writing since I was seven years old. When I was a kid, I would write short stories and just loved the feel of the pen in my hand. I was one of those that loved to hand write things; the feel of the pen in my hand, the words emerging on the paper as if by magic. I used to dream of writing a book one day, a mystery or thriller chapter book of course. That is the kind of books I loved reading then, still do, so I naturally thought one day if I wrote a book it would be in that genre. I also dreamed of possibly becoming a journalist. Writing these amazing stories for a newspaper that would be read my millions of people and would make an impact. Thinking about it now, I guess I always kind of wanted to write something that made an impact. In my freshman year of high school, I worked on the school newspaper. It was interesting but I already had decided I wanted to teach, or so I thought.

Being a little kid, you think you know what you want to do with your life. I put writing in the back of my mind because it always seemed so hard to break into and hard to make a living off of. In junior high I ended up getting recommended to be in the highest English class and there I stayed until senior year of high school, when I decided I wanted an easy senior year, don’t we all in high school, and went down to the college prep English class. Well I got straight A’s there and never had to study for the vocab tests😉. With all that writing in school from being in high English classes and writing for the school newspaper for a year, writing short stories kind of went on the back burner. I wasn’t really inspired anymore. Then I get to college and realize I do not like teaching, it was not for me(much respect to any teacher, I have taught preschool and pre-kindergarten before). I realized in my fourth year of undergrad I need to change my major. Uh oh. I changed it to something I thought would lead me to social work. Nope never broke into it which I always believed was meant to be and led me to ABA. I realized I needed to go back to school to get my masters. That is how I found ABA, by researching master’s degrees. Any degree is hard work and I worked really hard to graduate with a 3.6 GPA. I went from one dream to another more than once, from wanting to write to teach to wanting to be in social work to ABA. But it is the fact I had a dream to work on, a goal to reach that kept pushing me to keep going. It was working on my master’s degree that led me to my first job in the field of ABA. My second job in the field, I was on my own, the only behavior specialist at the company. That was a big leap. But you know what, I did it and I can honestly say I did it well. I worked hard and I was making my dream come true; have a successful career that I absolutely loved.

Fast forward to working on my PhD in 2018, 9 months into the program, and I have got an itch to write. I was incredibly nervous but for anyone that writes or is creative if you have an itch you have to find an outlet to scratch it or it will bother you until you do. It was not easy to tell my friends and family that I wrote a book and wanted to publish it. Actually, all my current friends I had known for years including best friend, had no clue I liked to write or could write. It was very nerve wracking to be open and tell them I had written this book. I actually did not tell anyone, not even my parents, until I got that first offer letter. It was kind of validation that my stuff was good and worth it. I do not think I would have needed that validation though because all my friends and family were and have been beyond supportive of my book. The point of this story is, no matter your dream, how big or small, if you had it at 7 years old or when your 60 years old, work hard and go for it. Your friends and family, if they care about you and believe in you will support you no matter what. That is one of the biggest lessons I learned is that I need to not let fear stop me from talking to those I’m close to about something I love to do because they will support me no matter what.

Even if your dream is in a field that is difficult to break into, keep working at it. Keep looking for different ways to get into the field whether going back to school, getting a certification, or even starting at the bottom of the field and working your way up. We all have to start somewhere and btw, when I went to work with kids, I took a step back in my career. But guess what, after a year in a half of hard work, I was able to move up to where I am now, and I absolutely love what I do. Working in early intervention is something I tried to break into in my early twenties and look now where I am. After going for a fifth year of undergrad, 2-year break then my master’s degree, 3 in a half year break then working on my PhD, I am finally working in early intervention. The step back was worth the experience and training I got too. Everything we go through is leading us to where we are meant to be. It is by hard work, perseverance and deciding to look outside the box for new ways to break in and gain experience that we are able to actually achieve our dreams. Btw I have my developmental disabilities certification, Six sigma certification and executive management certification. I am immensely proud of how I got to where I am. I am immensely proud of the direction my career is going. I am proud to call myself a published author. I am proud of the chances I have taken in my field and in writing this book. I am excited for the next few books in this series to be written. I am excited to publish my dissertation one day and to contribute to research in my field of ABA. I never thought I would have the grades to be accepted into a PhD program and here I am, 3.8 GPA in the only school I applied to. Anything can happen if you are willing to put the work and effort into it. From working in a daycare part time in my twenties complaining that ill never get into my field to having a successful career in my field that is continuing to progress. If I can do it anyone can, and I am here for anyone that wants help in achieving their dreams. I am here to inspire you, to mentor you and most of all to help you in any way I can to achieve those dreams. Nothing is out of reach and there is no time limit on reaching your goals.