Personal Childhood Web

These are the people who nurtured and cared about me when I was a child...

My mom…I can`t begin to describe how much my mother means to me…just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes…she is everything I KNOW, THINK, BELIEVE, everything I AM. My mother has always loved me unconditionally and with all her heart. She gave up a comfortable life for herself in order to make a better one for us and for us to have a brighter future. She taught me to believe in myself…and to be proud of who I am…which is not easy at first as a European immigrant attending a public school…she taught me that my value is the most important and that once people see the real me I will shine and be happy…she was right! She taught me to never give up and that I can do anything I set my heart out to do…she taught me to stand tall and proud and to believe in myself. I wouldn`t be the person I am today without her. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer almost 2 years ago and as opposed to what doctors said…she is in remission and happily enjoying her grand children.


My father…a big believer that dreams can come true…he taught me that nothing is impossible…he risked his life for us by fleeing Romania during the communism…by swimming through the Danube with bullets hitting the water centimeters away from him…the only belongings he had that day were pictures of us, his family is a plastic pocket to treasure forever….he started a new life for himself and his family in freedom. He inspires me to be a risk taker and to go for what I believe in. I have a love for travelling, a desire to explore and to continue to learn from him.



My 1st Grade ESL Teacher…coming to a new country…learning a new language are not easy unless you have a great support system. I had one both at home and at school. A teacher that always gave me encouragement, made me see all the things I was good at and made me feel important was Mrs. Knight. She showed me that she valued my identity and my history. She showed me she was just as interested in learning Romanian as I was in learning English. I taught her new words every day and I loved going to school!!! Her support gave me the confidence to thrive in school and to continue to be motivated even now in my adult years.