As a volunteer, I am proudest of:

1. Co-founding the Women's Resource Center, providing shelter and services to homeless and battered women and children. When I moved to Wenatchee in 1984, the only shelter was for men. The Women's Resource Center now houses over 75 families, and is a United Way agency.

2. Co-founing an alternative school to address the high dropout rate in Wenatchee Schools. Wenatchee had one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state, as well. So, I made sure child care and parenting classes were included. Now part of the Wenatchee School District, Westside HIgh School graduated 1,500 seniors in the first 10 years.

3. Since 2006 as a volunteer college mentor, I have helped minority, low income students write essays for college and scholarship applications. One of my best success stories is Brenda, who won $269,755 in scholarships in 2016. A sophomore at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Brenda plans to become a medical doctor and pathologist. She hopes to cure diseases.

In May 2018, I was awarded the first "Scholarship Rockstar"award from the Wenatchee High School College Mentor Program. It thrills me to send these kids to college.

I would like to think my greatest accomplishment hasn't happened yet. Each day I try to be a better person then I was the day before.

Going back to school at 35 to get the credential that landed me the job that became a 28 year career. Quitting the job I had (crappy, but it paid the bills) for an uncertain outcome, and then re-learning how to take notes and do homework, wasn't easy. Hard work can, sometimes at least, pay off.

I'd say maintaining a marriage and raising my son well. The hardships were by far and large having to do with the hassle my in-laws provided. Many of them are Alcoholics, drug addicts and quite honestly horribly negative. All were born in a small country town, most of them didn't finish school, and few of them can even keep a job for more than a few months or so in a stretch. Keeping myself and my son sane in all that mess, and both of us sober and clean, was an outstanding triumphant accomplishment.

As patient and understanding as I can be, I can also be a rabid bear in the right circumstances. Keeping that under control is also quite an accomplishment through all that.

Raising a good family and plenty of of mistakes hardships and remakes.

Were I in prison and you asked me to describe my upbringing, you'd say "No wonder."

I'm not.

Surviving a very reckless and unabashed youth...raised in a military and religious family, so when I was on my own, I tried everything...traveling on my own throughout Europe, skydiving, scuba diving, white water rafting, drugs, sex, etc. etc. I am lucky to be have made it through and now, I am happy to chill and take life a bit more easy.

My greatest accomplishment was going to nursing school to become an RN. I quit college my junior year to have my son; my daughter came not quite a year later. Both are fabulous accomplishments in themselves.
When they were 1 and 2, I entered nursing school, and had a job to pay for their day care. I was married too.
Very busy two years, but I made it!

Surviving.

Well "greatest" can mean "most difficult", "most satisfying", "most important" or probably a few other "mosts". So "it depends". My most satisfying accomplishment (good outcome relative to effort input, with some discernible impact on the world) was the creation of a particular software system. My most difficult accomplishment was raising my children, particularly given the circumstances under which I did it. But the general thanklessness of it and the death of one of my two children removes it from consideration for "most satisfying".

Clearly my children, now 33 and 31. We have done it hard but we stand by each other no matter what. Thanks to their mother we were homeless for a while, then we had a home but no furniture or anything, but we did what we had to do. We all leaned a lot, I had to learn to cook better which I guess is something.

I am not sure I know what my greatest skill is but one I take pride in is comforting and convincing people to have their surgery when they are scared. Nothing as dramatic as holding someone's hand at the side of their bed before surgery but on the phone or in person when they are scared and are canceling their surgery. For over a decade I would call people and give them instructions on their next day surgery. I have had a lot of surgeries and at last count was up eleven. Certainly not the highest but more than average. I would use my experiences to comfort people and let them know that it was ok to be a little scared but that a vast majority of surgeries are trouble free. Convince them that it is not like TV and where every episode someone isn't clinging to life and that TV Hospital dramas can do us a disservice and misinform people about the risks of surgery. Older people remember the time when surgery and Anesthesia was not as safe as today and that forms their view of having surgery as being dangerous. Explaining to them that techniques, equipment, medications and follow up care have all improved since that time helped them get over their fears.

My greatest accomplishments are my children. Its been tough. My eldest doesn't speak to me, she was a sickly baby and hard work as a child and a teen. Now she is doing very well. Eventually she will talk to me again but I am very proud of her. She is beautiful sweet funny and intelligent. My middle boys has just finished his BA. He nearly died when he was born and grew up to develop Aspbergers. He is bright funny and kind. He looks beautiful and has a heart of gold. My youngest is a mini me. 6ft 3, kind loving intelligent. He has type 1 diabetes and lots of physical problems. He has been ill a lot but is heading off to York this sept to do philosophy.
I of course, remain upright, employed, creative and academic but nothing I acheive, not the doctorate, not papers publish, nothing makes me prouder than those three.