"A well-written life is almost as rare as a well-spent one."
Thomas Carlyle
In Her Own Words
“According to my DNA results, I am a proud 46% French Native-American, 31% Spanish, and a 23% mixture of other ethnicities including Irish and Swedish heritage. I grew up with three very tall siblings in Los Angeles, California.
With my adolescent years in a girls' Catholic boarding school, I learned the value of education and discovered my art talents. As a senior, I graduated from a public school in Los Angeles at the top of my class.
As a young working adult in Hollywood, CA, I held various jack-of-all trade jobs including singing, modeling, secretarial work, sales clerk, a traveling bus hostess attendant on a luxury bus line, and a short stint as a flight attendant with a major airline.
While attending community college in Santa Monica, Navy recruiters enticed me into enlisting with promises of a free education, skilled work, and world travel; the Navy kept those promises.
In the military, I learned a trade in aviation supply, lived abroad in Hawaii and Spain, traveled widely, and obtained several college degrees (2 undergraduate degrees and a masters). I married a Naval Officer and started a family during my early military career. I eventually transistioned to the officer ranks where I administered and instructed in naval reserve training programs and worked in manpower assignments.
I sustained my love for art and photography in and outside the military through freelance and commissioned art creating images of ships, aircraft, and military portraits. I've camped and photographed 1/3 of all the U.S. National Parks; I never tire of them.
After my naval officer career as an instructor, becoming an art teacher seemed a natural transition since I had a BA in Studio Arts. I completed the Troops to Teachers Program and worked as an art teacher in various American schools and in private international schools abroad where I continued my love for photography and world travel. I taught in 7 countries: Southampton, England; Dubai, UAE; Istanbul, Turkey; Suzhou, China; Iwakuni, Japan; Tegulcigalpa, Honduras; and lastly in Astana (the second coldest capital in the world), Kasakhstan. To date, I have 52 countries under my belt. Many of my photographic images from my travels found their way into various published coffee table books when I became a writer.
Single now, I am enjoying a full life of creativity, writing, seeing many more ancient wonders of the world, playing with my young grandchildren (2 twins boys and a beautiful granddaughter), enjoying the company of family in California, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and hanging out with life long friends in America and former colleagues abroad. I also get routinely tested every 2-3 weeks for Covid-19 Virus to stay safe around family and friends. It's free in Maryland and you don't need a reason for testing. Thank you Governor Hogan!
I feel blessed to have done most things on my bucket list. Still on it are traveling to South America, seeing The Northern Lights, and having a vacation home in Bali or on any golden tropical beach."
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Annapolis, Maryland
SKILLS, TRAINING, QUALIFICATIONS, ACHIEVEMENTS & EDUCATION
EDUCATION, DIPLOMAS, CERTIFICATES
"Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of the man. The biography of the man himself cannot be written."
Mark Twain
Honorably discharged in last rate/grade of AK2 (petty officer second class) and transferred to naval reserves.
Copyright 2020 J. Q. All rights reserved.