Photography by Jonah Hooper
My first passion was ballet and I was incredibly fortunate to have a successful, 7 year professional career as a ballet dancer. Performing with Milwaukee Ballet, Minnesota Ballet and Atlanta Ballet Company, I had the opportunity to work with world renown artists and choreographers. I never dreamed of having another career that would fulfill my passions and bring me constant joy. This part of my life taught me strength and shaped me for my future.
Every dancer has to go through a career transition at some point in their life, and I never could have predicted the future I had in store. From serving at 5 Star, 4 Diamond, James Beard Award Winning Chef restaurants, to customer service, my newest passion started to form and reveal itself.
The opportunity to work as a temporary customer service rep at Felins USA, Inc. opened a brand new window of opportunity. I learned and grew…I applied my waitressing skills and ability to pick up information quickly toward my role in the company. I was adding knowledge to my tool-belt. I didn’t know where it would lead me, but I knew that I had a new interest in business and wanted to learn more about that world.
I then made the decision to go to school for business at Cardinal Stritch University to learn and apply my knowledge to build my new career in the business world and graduated with my BSBA in May of 2019. I was offered a new opportunity to step into a brand new role to both myself and Felins. I would be building the role, managing my own target market, and starting the most amazing journey of my career. As the sales manager for the food industry, I am helping the food industry increase their throughput, decrease packaging waste, reduce labor costs, and increase sustainability. I am building recognition for our company, building my own brand, building relationships, and becoming a resource in the food industry…my job no longer feels like a job… it is my career, my life, my world, and my passion!
Finding sustainability in our lives and our work is a challenging, and rewarding way to dance through life.