Well, I've led a relatively boring life, but here you go; this is me in a nutshell.
1) I was born in California in 1979.
2) My family moved around a lot, so I’ve also lived in Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, and Florida (our one stint on the east coast) and numerous cities within each state.
3) No, I’m not a military brat.
4) The only explanation I can give is that we must be descended from nomads.
5) I was left-handed all the way up until I was in first-grade.
6) Then for some unknown reason, I started using my right hand for almost everything except writing.
7) I was held back in the 2nd grade because I was extremely shy and my parents hoped I’d fare better with my favorite teacher, Mrs. Holiday.
8) When I was almost seven, I prayed to God repeatedly to have a little sister.
9) My little sister was born the next year.
10) Be careful what you pray for.
11) I really do love my little sister, but she was a pain in the neck.
12) I have an older bother and sister who are 7 and 8 years older than I am.
13) I purposely tried to get my big brother in trouble all the time when I was young.
14) He deserved it at the time.
15) But, now he’s the best big brother ever; and I’m a much better little sister.
16) I also have two nephews and one niece.
17) The thought of having my own children scares me.
18) They are so much responsibility and they wear me out.
19) Maybe things will change when my biological clock starts ticking.
20) I don’t remember the majority of my childhood; I think being shy takes a lot of joy out of being a child.
21) I went to four high schools, and the last semester of my senior year I had so many credits that I satisfied all the graduation requirements for the high school I was trying to enroll in.
22) Unfortunately, that high school wouldn’t give me a diploma if I never attended.
23) So I took one class.
24) I went to a midsized, west, liberal arts state school.
25) I decided to become a clinical neuropsychologist when I grew up.
26) So I majored in psychology and started working in a research lab my freshman year.
27) I loved research and never took a clinical internship.
28) I graduated three years later and tried to get into a Ph.D. program in clinical neuropsychology.
29) Two interviews later, I was not accepted into a Ph.D. program.
30) I decided to stay where I was, and enrolled in the Master’s program.
31) My master’s was in neuropsychology.
32) I still loved research, especially using neuropsychological tasks to measure cognition in college students.
33) My master’s thesis provided evidence that impulsivity contributes to problem solving ability.
34) Together with a colleague, I created a computerized version of the Tower of Hanoi. Bu-ya!
35) After completing my master’s I decided I still wanted to be in school.
36) I applied to ten universities this time.
37) I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to study clinical neuropsychology or cognitive neuroscience.
38) That decision would have led me to become either a practitioner or a professor.
39) Half the schools I applied to where for clinical neuropsychology or and the other half were for cognitive neuroscience.
40) I interviewed at a few schools and received acceptances at three.
41) One was school neuropsychology, one was clinical neuropsychology, one was cognitive neuroscience.
42) I still couldn’t make up my mind until the last moment.
43) After an agonizing decision, I went with Cognitive Neuroscience, which would have landed me in New Orleans, but...
44) The professor I applied to said he was interviewing for a position in Kansas.
45) If he got the position, I would end up in Kansas, but if not, I would end up in New Orleans.
46) He wouldn’t know if he got the position until after I had to make a decision to accept or reject.
47) I figured, “Hey, I move around a lot; doesn’t matter if I know where I’m going or not.”
48) I ended up in Kansas.
49) Looking back, I realize my life could have been greatly impacted by the horrible destruction that was Katrina if my advisor had not relocated to Kansas.
50) When I started in the fall, it became apparent that I was going to have major issues with the other graduate student in the lab.
51) I soon learned what it means to really hate someone.
52) But, I had already bought a house.
53) I had found a fabulous church.
54) I was dating a fabulous man.
55) I had a fabulous time teaching an upper level cognitive psychology course over the summer (although it was hard.)
55) I stuck it out for a very long and agonizing year.
56) I changed a little for the better (i.e., my massive ego became slightly smaller).
57) I learned how to analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging data (fMRI) using data that was collected in New Orleans.
58) My old advisor can no longer add to the particular study I was on because the hospital he was collecting data from was permanently closed down after Katrina.
59) He still has enough data to write up an article (with my name on it!)
60) I still had to teach general psychology for a semester that fall because no one could take it over from me.
61) I discovered that teaching lower level, general ed courses is the most thankless, horrible job ever.
62) I never wanted to teach again after that semester.
63) I randomly applied for any job that had to do with research.
64) I realized I didn’t have any skills to do any other job.
65) Miraculously, I found a job right before my teaching job ended.
66) Someone actually hired me to be a project manager for a research grant to create a computer adaptive test of reading for children.
67) I didn’t know what it took to be a project manager.
68) I knew nothing about computer adaptive testing.
69) I knew nothing about reading.
70) I didn’t like little kids.
71) I came from the field of cognitive psychology.
72) This grant was in the field of education.
73) But, I was making fairly good money.
74) I learned a massive amount of information in a very short time.
75) I came to love the field of education.
76) I came to love reading, and I wanted to study it from a cognitive perspective.
77) I became fascinated with educational test development.
78) We held panel meetings with the premier names in the field of education who study reading.
79) I got involved in a women’s bible study.
80) I somehow ended up leading the bible study.
81) God worked in amazing ways through that bible study, and I continued to change for the better.
82) My boyfriend and I refinished an antique table together.
83) I landscaped my house and I loved it!
84) I had the carpet replaced in two rooms with wood floors and installed tile in my kitchen and bathroom. It looked fabulous!
85) But, working eight to five got tiring.
86) Leading the research meetings was like herding cats.
87) I realized my form of leadership was ineffectual in bringing about results.
88) I agonized over my attempts to get things to work.
89) My supervisor said he had never been involved with a group of people that had such unusual group dynamics.
90) I concluded that things were out of my hands at work, and I needed to do find something else to do.
91) My boyfriend of two years and I decided to get off the pot (rather than get engaged).
92) I decided to go back to school where I came from and study educational psychology so that I could become either a professor or an educational consultant.
93) Getting a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the same university I left was the best decision I ever made in my entire life.
94) I received notice that I was accepted two and a half weeks before school was to start that fall.
95) An unexpected opening came up for me to teach Social Psychology.
96) I got involved in the Ed Psych Society.
97) I started enjoying great intellectual conversations with other graduate students and professors.
98) I had a rough time teaching Social Psychology initially, but came to appreciate the discipline of teaching and the interaction with the students.
99) I joined a small, wonderful church, and I plan to start leading a career group.
100) I finally feel like I’ve found my niche in the world.
