Born in California and currently residing in Missouri, I exemplify the phrase "It's Never Too Late." I am a forty-six year old woman, mother of three, who entered college for the first time at age forty-five. Four years ago, my husband was diagnosed with a rare and fatal cancer; a year later, he succumbed to that cancer. The intensity of that period profoundly changed not only my life, but my outlook on life. In the span of one year, everything I had known and everything I had planned no longer existed leaving me to survive the resulting vacuum. Two months after my husband's death, I was diagnosed with cancer myself and forced to realize exactly how short life can be. I was fortunate; my tumor was encapsulated and totally removed; the experience, however, only intensified the vacuum in my life and left me once again wondering what else life had in store for me. I was forced to regroup, reevaluate and, finally, reinvent myself. It was at that point I rediscovered my love of learning; a love that had been postponed in favor of the education of my children. It was a turning point in my life…school has not only filled the vacuum, it has redefined me.

As one who had always written in one genre or another, I entered school with the humble aspirations of becoming an English major and eventually teaching at the elementary level. One semester later, my outlook underwent a massive transformation as I fell head over heels in obsession with sociology and anthropology. Since that point, I have focused my studies on sociology, world cultures and global studies. My goals have changed from humble to stellar as my studies progress. Being given the opportunity to study abroad in Sweden added another dimension to my educational universe and I currently aspire to completing my education at the doctoral level in Sociology and focusing on international relations and political sociology. I continue to write, focusing on the non-fiction genre, and have begun to incorporate my sociological leanings into a collection of essays that my family is sure will become a book. My experiences in Sweden will surely make a great chapter… or five!

I leave behind my oldest, who recently added Dr. to her name; my middle, whose ambitions mirror my own with regard to global studies, is on a four year scholarship to Culver Academies; and my newest family addition, a six month old granddaughter Ashlyn Paige. My youngest, an aspiring chef, will accompany me to Sweden and will be allowed to experience the Swedish culture from a more personal vantage point as a ninth grader in the Swedish public school system.

The generosity of the AWC has enhanced my opportunity to learn from my upcoming experiences and provided me with even more impetus to do what some fear can never be done… start over.

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Hi American Women's Club of Sweden!