It truly is an honor to be recognized as a member of Summerville High School’s Hall of Fame. I am humbled to be surrounded by the incredible members who have already been inducted into this special group. The four pivotal years of my teens I spent walking the campus as a Summerville bear had an immense impact on my life and helped shape me into who I am today.
As a quiet, reserved student in grade school, the various academic clubs and extracurricular activities offered by Summerville High were not something I had considered participating in. I planned to simply blend in. My wonderful mom challenged me from the beginning and told me high school was the perfect opportunity to start fresh and try new things. So, with that, I jumped into every club and activity I could.
ASB quickly became my thing. I was elected freshman, sophomore and junior class president each of my first three years by my peers. My senior year I was elected ASB president. Being in ASB taught me how to make quick decisions, organize functions, proctor meetings, helped me with my public speaking skills, and ultimately taught me how to be an all-around good leader. I carried all this with me into the workforce after college. ASB and Mr. Heldstab went hand in hand during my time at Summerville. His dedication to our school was unrivaled and we all truly believed he bled black and orange. I could not have done all the work without the many classmates who joined me as VPs, treasurers and secretaries. And especially to my fellow hall of famers Megan and Jake; you two truly were there every step of the way. Casey and Ben, thanks for letting us drag you along with us. The four of you will always be special to me no matter how much time passes.
When I wasn’t fulfilling my roles as President, I immersed myself in my studies and truly grew to love learning. I was blessed to learn from some very special teachers and administrators who went above and beyond for each student who walked through their doors. Although I may have disappointed him by never joining cross-country, Mr. DeGennaro became the teacher who pushed and guided me the most. I was grateful for the hours I was privileged to sit in his classroom and hear him teach. He instilled in me the desire to question further, dig deeper, read on, and think creatively. I was also fortunate to experience Mr. DeGennaro’s leadership by participating in Academic Decathlon and CSF club. Going to state my senior year for ACADEC was an incredible highlight and helped push me further into being academically competitive and keeping my GPA above a 4.0 throughout my high school career.
That competitive nature and my strong academics helped me win many scholarships during my senior year, most notably the Twain Harte Rotary Club Academic Award, the Soroptimists International Club of Twain Harte Youth Citizenship Award and the Bank of America Achievement Award for Liberal Arts. I was also awarded Student of the Year in Publications and Student Government during my final year of high school.
Once I graduated from Summerville High in 2004, I truly flew the coop and spent four years at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Going from a bear to a buffalo was a tough transition but I fully believe my high school teachers challenged and prepared me well for this endeavor. During my time at CU, I immersed myself in the college experience. I continued my hockey career in college and was the only woman to play on the men’s roller hockey team for four years. I also spent two years as president and co-captain of that same hockey team, worked various odd jobs, and saw all that the beauty of the outdoors that Colorado had to offer. 2008 was the culmination of my education when I graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in Humanities.
After college I returned home to Twain Harte and quickly moved up the ranks at Save Mart Supermarkets, holding management positions in Sonora, Oakdale and eventually Modesto. I met my husband Beau in 2015. We got married in 2016 and had our first daughter Ella in 2017. I hung up my work attire for good and traded it for full-time mom status. We had our first son Easton in 2018, another son Chase in 2020, and my final baby and second daughter Hazel in 2022. When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always enthusiastically said teacher! Although I don’t teach in the traditional sense, I have the best job of being a teacher to my own children as I just started my 5th year of homeschooling. Nothing brings me more joy than watching my children experience all the things this world has to offer through learning. My time at Summerville High School propelled me into my constant love for learning and that is something I hope to pass on to my own children.
In 2024 I had the joy of putting on our 20-year high school reunion! It was great to reunite with classmates and hear all the things they had done since our time together way back then. Going to the homecoming football game that year brought back all the memorable feelings of standing on the sidelines with a clipboard helping keep stats, hearing the roar of the home team crowd and the backdrop of the beautiful campus I had the honor of attending. It was a full circle moment to be able to come back with my husband and children!
In this thing we call life my high school years were just a small blip, yet they hold such precious memories. Summerville helped shape me into the confident, organized, jump in with both feet and try new things, successful adult I am today. I feel fortunate to have had such a positive high school experience, and I am deeply grateful to every person who supported me along the way. Thank you again for bestowing upon me the honor of being a part of Summerville High School’s Hall of Fame.