Name: Natalie Age: 30
Sign: Gemini
I grew up in: Bakersfield, CA
I currently live in: Orange, CA
You can find me: In nature
You will never find me: Gnawing on chicken
Favorite Charity: Heifer International
1.)What has been the most life altering experience for you?
My most life altering experience has been my recent trip to Tanzania. I think that I have always had a good appreciation for life. I also knew that I had been blessed with amazing opportunities and support to get where I am today. In Tanzania, I worked with people with HIV/AIDS and children with disabilities. I saw things that I never imagined could still be happening in 2008. I saw people dying in front of me.
I witnessed people literally starving to death and there was nothing I could do about it. For the first time in my life, I felt helpless and hopeless. The trip really made me realize how lucky I truly am simply to have been born in the time, place and family that I was born into. Since I have been back, I am trying to figure out where I fit in this world and how I can make a difference locally and globally. 2.)How do you measure success?
I measure success by my friends and family. I believe that the company that you keep tells a lot about you as a person. I am blessed with amazing friends and family. They are all remarkable people in their own right.
3.)What is your most prized possession?
To be honest, I think I could have all of my possessions taken away and be ok with it. I would much rather have my memories than any physical item. But if I had to choose something, I would say it is my grandmother’s class ring. My grandmother and I graduated exactly 50 years apart from the same high school. Growing up, I was never really close to my grandmother. I never really felt accepted by her. I was never girly enough, I never had a boyfriend, never interested in crafty stuff, blah blah blah…When she gave it to me, I finally felt that she was proud of me and that we had some kind of connection.
4.)Who or what inspires you?
I work with some of the most physically disabled children in the county. The children and families that I work with inspire me everyday. Seeing their strength and determination to beat the odds and prove the doctors and therapists (such as myself) wrong is truly exciting. One of the most inspiring stories that I have witnessed is of a three your old little girl. Before I met this little girl, I read her chart. As I read the history of this three-year-old baby, I cried, and vomited. This little girl was horrifically abused. At the age of three, she had every awful, unspeakable thing you could EVER possibly imagine done to her. It was truly a miracle that she was even alive. When I met her, she was not able to use the right side of her body, not able to walk, speak, or eat. For the first few months I work with her I cried after almost every session. During the first year that I worked with her, she took her first steps, she had her G-tube removed, she started speaking in multiple word sentences. She truly is amazing and inspirational. The most amazing part of her story is although she survived the worst thing that could ever be done to a human being, she has a smile on her face every single day. She is my hero and inspiration.
5.)What is your dream job?
National Park Ranger. How awesome would to be to wake up and get to be in and protect mother nature?
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