“The people (were the best part of the program) for sure! ... They pushed me and they LOVED me”
Christy, Alumni Student
The Present
Where are you now?
Wow. I could write a novel here: I went back to my former high school and finished my senior year. From there, I went to Drake University, and transferred to Loyola Academy Chicago where I got my teaching degree. I started teaching in 2007, and I have been teaching ever since. I tried 5th and 2nd grade, but I currently have been teaching 1st grade there for 13 years.
In my 20's, I traveled as much as I could. Through the US and beyond. I took an amazing trip to Ecuador with my mom. We spent time DEEP in the Amazon Rain forest and then moved to a 5 day cruise through the Galapagos Islands.
While in Indonesia, we traveled quite a bit and did as much as we could fit in during my 10 day stay. We went to the Borobudur Ruins, and experienced the small, yet magical island of Bali.
"Everyday is a blessing, but that does not mean it is easy. I have my meltdowns and tears. HOWEVER, I thank New Haven for teaching how to manage all these strong feelings."
Christy, Alumni Student
It was the most incredible experience of my life. (Aside from New Haven.) I also took a two week trip to Asia. I spent 2 days in Hong Kong, completely by myself. Then I traveled to Indonesia and stayed with a friend who was teaching at an international school there.
In 2014, I married the love of my life, Dean. In 2015, we found out that I was pregnant with triplets. What a surprise! We had just starting trying to start a family! The boys were born at 27 weeks with MANY health complications. One of my boys was in the hospital for 3 months and came home on Christmas day. Another (who was only 1 pound at birth) came home in March. My last son was born with a heart defect and needed two open heart surgeries, so he did not come home until the end of April.
We finally had all our children under one roof, but we had to compromise to do so. Two of my sons came home needing full time oxygen support and feeding tubes. Thank goodness we found the BEST in home nurses to help us. They are now family. The boys still have some hurdles to overcome. Two of my sons still rely on G-tubes for nutrition. They have some developmental delays. And just last summer, one of my boys was diagnosed on the Autistic spectrum. Everyday is a blessing, but that does not mean it is easy. I have my meltdowns and tears. HOWEVER, I thank New Haven for teaching how to manage all these strong feelings. How to accept what I can't control. How to accept my ups and downs. New Haven taught me how to cope with the best and the worst.
Family
How would you describe your family relationships now?
Amazing. The best of the best. I want to give New Haven HUGE credit here, because they deserve it. They helped us learn how to communicate productively, even when we were at odds. Honestly, part of the reality is that my family was invested through my entire experience. They worked just as hard as I did. I have the BEST family EVER.
The Past
What part of New Haven was most helpful?
The people for sure! They pushed me, and they LOVED me.
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