I have always been passionate about art and creating. Seeing promise, my high school teacher, urged me to enroll in art school. Like so many, I never believed there was a future for me in art; so, I veered in the opposite direction. Yearning to escape to the West, I left my home town in Virginia, and headed for college in the great Rocky Mountains. I graduated with degrees in Spanish and International Relations. I pursued careers in Law Enforcement, Firefighting, and Real Estate.

Though the work was exciting and rewarding, I still felt unsatisfied and restless. This is when I turned back to my first love, and established Mandala Recycled Art in 1998. Although these educations and careers were not “right” for me, I know see the how the dots connected me to finding "Jendala." Law enforcement provided me with the assertiveness and awareness needed to be self-employed, and firefighting gave me the appreciation and connection with fire, as well as, the knowledge of using the oxy-acetylene torch. Real Estate prepared me for the daily office routine that any business requires.