Growing up, I always loved two things, animals and singing. As a little girl I can remember sitting on my porch swing and singing for hours to my dog and cat. As I grew older, I kept singing. However, I thought it was something other than a serious career path I could follow. I decided to attend Gaston College and get a degree in Veterinary Technology. I was good at my job and worked in the field for five years. However, the pay for a veterinary technician is low not to mention it is challenging work. I started waiting tables on the weekends as a way to earn extra money. When my husband and I decided to start a family, instead of trying to continue my job as a veterinary technician and pay for daycare, we decided that while our kids were small, I would stay at home and continue to work as a waitress on the weekends. We had two children in 13 months! Eventually, I said I would return to my veterinary technician work.

During this time my boss at Garibaldi in Fuquay Varina, decided he wanted to bring live music. Something inside me said, “You! You can do this”. So I asked him, and he gave me a shot. I started by playing tracts from my phone and singing along. I only knew about 10 songs, but I would rotate through them, and people seemed to enjoy them. I would also sing Happy Birthday in Italian very loudly at the table when it was someone’s birthday which was a big hit. Pretty soon, I sang every other Sunday night, then every Sunday night, then every Saturday and Sunday night. People started asking me to sing at their parties, anniversaries, and even weddings! Then I thought I could learn how to do the whole party, not just sing. I bought a DJ controller and signed up for DJ classes. It was funny because when I arrived at the classes, I didn’t realize they were geared toward kids. So here I am, a 30-year-old mom of two babies in a class with 8 to 10-year-olds, and they were much better than me, haha. But, the 20-year-old instructor taught me a lot, and after a couple of months of classes, I joined a local DJ company that continued to mentor me. I was the DJ for over 50 weddings that year, and I loved it!

At this point, I was seriously thinking, Do I want to be a veterinary technician again? Is being a DJ and a singer an actual career? I can not do this when I am old; maybe I should go back to school and get a degree in nursing or something that pays more. I was going back and forth and wrestling with the decision. One day I was mowing the lawn, and it hit me like a lightning bolt. It was like God said, “Don’t worry about what you are going to do when you are old, do what you love now!” From that point on, I threw myself into being a performer. I bought all my DJ equipment; I made a website and social media presence. I started booking my parties and weddings. There is always more to learn. However, I have come a long way. I use my DJ controller to modify my piano tracts. I can adjust pitches and tempos to my taste within the software and make the music flow much better. Now I still sing jazz, but my Saturdays are usually filled with weddings or other parties for which I am the DJ. I often start singing as guests arrive at the party, then transition into the party DJ after cocktail hour.

I genuinely love this new career path and don’t see myself ever being a veterinary technician again. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I could never have gotten this far without the support of my husband and some reliable babysitters! Connection is the key to my success and what keeps me going. Before each event, I meditate on how I can help make the event a success and facilitate genuine moments of happiness and love. I want to make people feel something, and in turn, it helps keep me fulfilled. Life is a journey, with each new experience building on the last, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!