I was born in Amelia County, Virginia, a semi-rural town, as the only profoundly deaf member of my hearing family, who do not know any sign language. My hearing ability was lost due to a medical error from an ear infection treatment when I was just 18 months old.

At the age of three, I enrolled in a preschool program for the deaf sponsored by the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) in Richmond, Virginia, after my audiologist recommended it to my parents. I attended various mainstream public schools in Richmond from Kindergarten through 7th grade, where I was taught using Cued Speech until I was 11, at which point I transitioned to Signing Exact English (SEE) sign language.

From ages 12 to 17, I attended the Model Secondary School for the Deaf located on the Gallaudet University campus in Washington, D.C., where I graduated with a diploma. Following that, I pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems, focusing on becoming a computer programmer. During my junior and senior years, I completed a two-year paid internship through a career development program to enhance my résumé before graduating.

After graduation, I took a year off to become a mother to my first child. In 1988, there were few childcare options available for infants under six months, which motivated me to stay home during that formative year.

My professional journey began with a major health insurance and billing reimbursement company as a data transcriber, a role that was later renamed to medical coding specialist. Unfortunately, I was laid off without explanation. Encouraged by my family, I turned to temporary employment agencies and gained valuable experience working in various positions across 25 different companies. My last role was with Circuit City Store, Inc., where I worked for three years in customer service support for their bank, First National Bank. My direct supervisor urged me to take advantage of their college reimbursement program. This opportunity allowed me to pursue a Small Business Administration (SBA) course on how to start my own business, which included a mentorship program.

Through five years of mentorship and partnership, I learned everything about running a website design service business. This experience led me to become a solopreneur, and I have been operating my own website design and computer repair service for 24 years. In 2012, I set up my first exhibit booth at my small hometown's annual festival.

In my spare time, I have enjoyed participating in a free one-week deaf acting workshop, which led to a month-long paid position as a personal assistant and chauffeur to a hearing film director fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). This experience provided me valuable insight into the filmmaking industry in Richmond, Va., where Hollywood-like film producers gather from across the Mid-Atlantic region.