Alaska? Where did that come from, your parents?
A: No, my parents did not give me that name.
But I did earn it fair and square, a long time ago, when I backpacked
through
the panhandle of Alaska with my then 11 year-old son, Josh and my
little
brother, Rich. We spend several weeks covering the cities from
Ketchekan
to Juno and many places in between, including a 5-day solo sea kayaking
experience, and Glacier Bay with its whales and bears and unbelievable
wildlife. It was a wonderful experience and when I returned, with
a little help from my friends, the name Alaska just sort of adopted
me.
I'm not complaining. It reflects my spirit.
Tell me about your academic experience.
A: I didn't like school much. I was bored and went because
I had to and to socialize with friends and because they taught creative
writing and singing and drama. I did well in high school, but not
because I worked at it. Things came very easily to me and that's
probably why I was bored. I didn't go to college until I was in
my
thirties and when I did come back to school, I came to Triton.
Suddenly,
I loved school. I had my best teachers here (Robin Lorentzen and
Jim Wright and Michael Botterweck and Ed Riccardo and CK Patel and
Steve
Wilson just to name a few) . I earned an Associate of Science
degree,
which I took to Rosary College (now Dominican University) where I
earned
a Bachelors in Psychology. I was lucky and received a full free
ride
at Roosevelt University where I earned a Masters in Clinical
Psychology. After that, I went on to complete more than 60
post-graduate hours, mostly in Albert
Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavioral Theory - which I use in my work
with
students.
Tell me a little something about yourself.
A: I spent the first 12 years of my life in Zurich, Switzerland
where I was born. As a result, I speak German and understand some
Italian and French. Then my parents moved our family to the north
side of Chicago where I went to St. Matthias for 7th and 8th grade and
then to St. Benedict High School. When I graduated from high
school,
I married, moved to Bellwood where I bough my first house, and had my
two
sons, Josh and Jesse, who are now grown and making their own way in the
world. Josh lives in North Carolina with his wife Debbie and my
grandson
Jake on a beautiful mountain top in the Smoky Mountains. Jesse
still lives
in the Chicago area but is making noises about moving to
Colorado. We are very close
and enjoy being together whenever we can. I view having raised my
sons as my life's most important and also most challenging work.
I now live in Elmhurst with
my dog Zoe who lets me live in her house, and with my husband
Michael.
Hobbies? Fun?
A: Actually, work is fun for me. I love my work.
Being able to help others make good decisions that can change their
lives.
Its awesome. I also love to cook, and I'm pretty good at
it.
I enjoy throwing things together and my recipes often can't be
duplicated
because I don't know what I did to get it to taste the way it
does.
I love cooking for a crowd (Michael is always dragging people
home!)
I have a new kitchen (after a two-year remodeling project) and enjoy
being
in this incredible new space made of glass and stainless steel and
granite
and a huge stone fireplace. I also love to travel and look
forward
to every trip. I usually drive down to North Carolina several
times a year. Zoe and I hop in the car and go. It's great
freedom
and I love it. We recently bought some property about on Lake
James, N.C. that will eventually become our retirement home.
Friends?
A: Michael -my best friend and soul-mate, and Maureen -my goddess
friend and sister; and Gloria -the brightest woman I've ever known; and
Sharon and Joe, and John and Andrea, and Pam.. I miss my friend
Nancy.
We were once inseparable but one day I realized that I made all of
the effort and had gotten tired.
Final Words?
A: My dad died some years ago, and I have this empty space where
he used to be. I had to make some tough decisions about letting
him
go. I'm glad I did, but it all still haunts me. We were
close
and I attribute a lot of my success as a person to having had him as a
parent. He was a stern taskmaster but his love for me was
obvious.
He cultivated my work ethic, gave me my strength, and taught me never
to
walk away from a fight worth fighting. From him I learned that it
was good to love and that I could do anything I wanted to. Right
after he died, I waited and waited and waited for some sort of sign
that
he still existed somewhere, on some other plane. No signal ever
came.
It makes me feel adrift. I have not yet reconciled his
loss. Then, I lost my mom... Death teaches you to value
life and realationships.
Josh, Alaska and
Jesse
Beautiful Jake
Zoe