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Things to do
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photo provided by WALTER COLLEY
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Personal: 31 of Canandaigua; married with two children.
Occupation: Managing Partner and Creative Director at Dixon Schwabl (Advertising | Marketing | Public Relations).
Community activities: eBusiness Association board member and Director of Interactive Marketing Committee; Certified Leadership Coach for Daystar for Medically Fragile Infants, Inc., and United Way of Greater Rochester; Community Outreach Champion at Eastman Institute of Oral Health at the University of Rochester; Adjunct Professor at Monroe County Community College.
My favorite thing to do in Rochester: I love getting a big cup of coffee and taking a stroll with my husband, kids and dog. Favorite places are Mendon Ponds, Kershaw Park in Canandaigua, Pittsford’s Schoen Place and Bristol’s Garden Center (I’m a gardening fanatic). Just strolling around the neighborhood is great, too. It gives me great ideas on gardening! The Grape Festival in Naples is an annual favorite as well.
Biggest challenge I’ve overcome and how I did it: The biggest challenge I’ve faced in life is always being the “new girl". A preacher’s kid growing up, it was like living in the Army--a new city every three to four years. I was always saying goodbye to old friends and making new ones; trying to navigate through schools in Europe, the country and the inner city. For a long time I viewed these experiences as “nightmares”. When you move so often as an adolescent, you lose your sense of self, constantly shifting and adjusting who you are to the environment. As an adult, I’ve come to appreciate these formative experiences as they helped mold me into a stronger person. Each environment exposed me to things I never would have imagined, like learning how to read in kindergarten (England's version) while wearing a blue uniform (with a tie!), learning to live off the land by eating food that my grandfather planted, hunted or fished for, and learning that self-awareness begins with self-acceptance.
One thing I’ve always wanted to do but never have: Go skydiving! I am terribly afraid of heights, and if I could jump out of a plane that would be a great way to overcome my fears. There’s nothing like facing your fears head on to make you feel alive.
If I could change one thing about myself it would be: I would love to be able to sleep five hours a night and be fully refreshed for the next day. Boy, am I grouchy if I don’t get my eight hours!
The talent I would most like to have: I would love to be able to sing. My mother is a singer and has the sweetest voice. I have always longed to be able to share that form of self-expression. I guess I’ll need to live vicariously through car and shower performances.
The one thing I can’t live without: Caffeine and gummies. I know it’s not one thing, but it’s the truth.
The song that best describes my life: “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” by Daft Punk.
One of my favorite sayings is: “I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” ~ Sarah Williams
Actress I’d like to portray me in a movie about my life: Reese Witherspoon.
