#somertonintro

BIOGRAPHY: 

(death mention tw. )

Since she was able to comprehend nicknames, Daphne Miller has been indignant on being called Daphne and Daphne only. Of course, her family are the only people with the sacred honor of calling her Daph. Born as the 6th of the 7 Miller children, Daphne made her grand entrance into the world in the middle of a snowstorm at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve, making her both a Capricorn as well as the first baby born in Somerton in 1993. Her father deemed her destined for greatest, her mother fondly called her headstrong —Daphne’s parents had been at a family party only hours before her mother had gone into labor. The couple had at least wanted to share a New Year’s kiss, but Daphne had managed to derail their plans.

Naturally, being the second youngest in such a large family had both its perks and pitfalls. Daphne’s childhood was a fairly happy one. Her parents were upstanding members of the community and she was never want for company. Daphne was doted on and always had someone to play with, be it her younger sister or older siblings, but often felt coddled to a fault. There were times where she felt like she was handed things rather than working hard for them —her weekly allowance, for instance. She held herself to a high standard in order to make herself stand out in the Miller’s brood of 7, sometimes going over and above in when it came to her schooling and extracurricular activities.

Nonetheless, there was never a shortage of love in her family, which was definitely a perk. They helped each other through the difficult times, such as the tragic death of their aunt, and were supportive in all their triumphs. Her mother inspired her to become a teacher and the Millers threw a huge party when Daphne was accepted to her dream school and subsequently another party once she received her teaching degree from Columbia University. Thanks to her mother’s connections, she was able to secure a spot teaching 7th grade at Somerton Middle School.

However, Daphne didn’t merely coming back from New York City with a teaching degree —she also came back with an engagement ring on her left hand.

It was a love story for the ages —he was a photographer working on an editorial piece and stopped her on the street to ask if he could take a picture of her for his project. Lightning stuck, they exchanged information, and the rest was history. Her fiancé willingly relocated to Somerton, thinking he would be able to uproot his whole life and career in a big city to a small picturesque town and for awhile, it worked. They were planning the wedding, thinking of the future… And then, Daphne’s beau received the job offer of a lifetime and while she selfishly wanted him to stay, she knew it ultimately wasn’t possible. Their breakup was devastating and it’s something Daphne still hasn’t quite recovered from and luckily, her family is standing by to support her.

Heartbreak aside, Daphne has a life that she appears to love (although occasionally, she wonders if she really wants to be a teacher or if it’s because she wants to impress her mother). She lives in a cute apartment in Bridgeport with her dog, Penny, and continues to shape the minds of her students (and keep a close eye on her niece, Emma).

WANTED CONNECTIONS: 

I’ve got to update this, but a n y t h i n g from this list! She’s a local and part of a rather well known family, so the sky’s the limit! 

Notable connections not necessarily listed: 

The rest of her siblings

Her ex-fiance (I’ll be submitting a WC eventually) 

OKAY SO IF YOU READ THE BIO, YOU’LL REALIZE I DECIDED TO REALLY GIVE THIS MAN A TRAGIC BACKSTORY (look, i’ve had george since like 2018, and for some reason everytime i adapt him for a new rp, his backstory gets a little sadder, i’m worried about this man, i really am). 

quick summary: golden child becomes spoiled, discovers his gf is pregnant at 18, his parents die on the way to the hospital, he raises his sister and his daughter. he eventually becomes a nurse and then the mayor.

 good boy, tired boy.

But tbh, George is actually a pretty cheerful muse. He is a happy guy, he has found peace and balance. He is the sort of guy who smiles at everyone and whose shoulder is always free, he is a great listener and he really tries with his advice (might not always be the best, but he gives it from the heart).

He has a 20 year old daughter and a 34 year old sister. While the age difference between him and his sister might not be that big, it was in the moment they lost their parents -- he had to finish raising her, made sure she graduated high school and got into a good college.

He is the current mayor. Recently elected, been doing a good job so far. Formerly, he worked in the daycare (and did some odd jobs around town as well), before he graduated from university and became a nurse. He worked at the hospital for practically a decade (he was a dermatology nurse).

He has lived in Somerton all of his life and has always been the sort of person to befriend lots of people. Those who went to high school with him might have a bad opinion of him (he went through a jerk phase, would love to plot a connection for that tbh), but it’s been twenty years and he is a beloved guy. His family has lived in the town for decades. HIs father was a doctor, and his mother was an author (published romances set in Maine).

iii. injury (tw. nerve damage)

I ended up not going into this in the bio, but he had to go undergo some surgeries after the car accident. He has nerve damage and lost some sensation in his left leg. A former quarterback, George tries to act like nothing is wrong, but he has some troubles.

He uses a cane sometimes when the pain is bad/when he has lost sensation in the leg. He is a bit touchy about it and will sometimes not use the cane when he is supposed to.

iv. wanted connections

friends: LOOK, HE IS NICE, HE IS FRIENDLY, HE IS LOYAL, HE WOULD DEFINETLY HAVE A BUNCH OF FRIENDS. Gimme his guy friends that he shares a beer after work, and then give me some girl friends that he also shares a beer after work.

old friends: i’d really die for someone who has known george for like 15 years, gimme some people who know him very well!!

ex-girlfriend: how about someone he was dating a few years ago, but he was so focused on his daughter that the relationship fizzled out/they had angry fights about him not making time for her?

former co-workers: imagine you wake up one day and a person you work with is suddenly in charge of the town? everyone who works at the hospital had to deal with that!!

fuck buddy: look, the man is busy and while his daughter is finally an adult, he has gotten used to not having a proper relationship, just passing ones. 

basics

name: josephine “josie” edwards

pronouns: she/her

birthday: january 31st, 1991 (29 years old)

occupation: novelist and short story writer, but sometimes writes for the local paper

length of time in somerton: one year (since september 2019)

neighbourhood: evergreen dock

hometown: new york city

positive traits: creative, dedicated, ambitious, outgoing, confident

negative traits: singularly-focused, perfectionist, guarded, headstrong

faceclaim: laura harrier

point form bio

josie’s mother is from somerton and her father is from new york

they chose to raise their family in nyc, but bought a vacation home in somerton right on the coast, so josie grew up spending summers and some holidays in maine

josie has one older sibling, which if you’re interested is a wc!!

she went away for undergrad, but moved back to new york to get her mfa in creative writing from nyu

during her first semester of her masters program she met her ex-boyfriend, who is also a wc

august 2018 her parents died in a car crash due to a drunk driver, and it crushed josie

a year after after her parents passed she decided to move to somerton because although she’d excelled at work, she felt disconnected from what everyone said really mattered in life, her family

it took some adjusting at first, but now, a year later, josie loves it in somerton

work is still going well, now she’s just working on reconnecting with her extended family and perhaps starting a family of her own

find her full bio here

BASICS.

full name: robin lilian martin-chang

age + birthday: twenty-eight | 04/15/1992

gender + pronouns: cis female | she/her

sexual & romantic orientations: pansexual/romantic

hometown: somerton, maine / vancouver, british columbia

occupation: graphic designer / digital artist 

personality traits: independent, creative, open-minded,  impatient, guarded, lazy.

looks like: chloe bennet

FAMILY.

mother: lily chang

father.: chuck martin

siblings: aiden martin ( step brother, 8 )

other important relationships: stacey martin ( step mother ), wei-ling chang ( maternal grandmother )

pets: timon & pumba, her fur babies. 

CHARACTER. 

wester zodiac: aries

chinese zodiac: monkey

primal sign: gorilla

hogwarts: hufflepuff, but she thinks she’s a ravenclaw

one song: we’re all in this together - hsm, and she will belt it at you bc she’s annoying 

one book: oh the places you’ll go! - dr. seuss

one movie: the parent trap, bby robin had many dreams about running into a lost twin and switching places okay?

BIOGRAPHY.

tw: divorce

Lily Chang and Chuck Martin had no business falling in love, but in the early 90′s at a karaoke bar in Somerton, Maine - that was precisely what happened. The relationship was doomed from the start -- a walking dad joke wrapped in a sweater vest and woman strung higher than her up-do would have very little in common once the thrill of young love wore off -- but hindsight is a fickle thing, and youth has a funny way of blinding what is right in front of your eyes. It wasn’t long after the first meeting that the couple would find themselves married, and then welcoming a daughter into the world who would someday serve as the only proof the two ever got along.

Still, compatibility issues aside, her parents gave it a real go and for the first seven years of her life, Robin had a real family. Family dinners around the table, Saturday morning cartoons with her dad, and road trips to her mother’s favorite East Coast landmarks. But the facade could only last so long and so the summer before she was meant to start the second grade at Grant Elementary, her parents made the difficult decision to call it quits. Looking back at it through adult eyes, Robin would see the cracks in the foundation -- the petty fights and cold silences that seemed to rule their household -- but at seven years old sitting on a chair staring down at skinned knees listening to the two people she trusted the most tell her their little family was breaking up she felt her whole world crumble around her. It just wasn’t fair! Despite loud protests and heartfelt pleas, by the end of the week Robin found herself packing up her bedroom and leaving the only home she’d ever known in favor of moving west with her mother who had secured a job at the University of British Columbia.

From that point on her childhood felt divided -- splitting time between her parents' homes on opposite coasts. Summers spent eating lobster and laughing at her dad’s dumb jokes in Maine and forced ski lessons with her mom when what she really wanted to do was snowboard back in BC. And for a time, it was manageable. But everyone has a breaking point, and for Robin that was puberty.

It seemed to happen overnight. The status quo shifted --  one day mother and daughter were compromising about take away order and the next they couldn’t agree on anything. And just like that, their small condo became a battleground. Something about hormones and teen angst seems to cause friction between mothers and their daughters and Robin was no exception to this cliche. As she grew the realities of her childhood set in and Robin became bitter, pinning an unfair bulk of the blame on her mother and this expressed itself through a rebellious streak come high school. Once a straight-A student, Robin was now skipping classes to smoke under the bleachers and stealing bottles from the liquor cabinet to go drink with her friends in the park. It was clear her mom was in over her head, and with all modes of communication closed off she felt had no options left but to send Robin back to Somerton to live full time with her dad and though Robin agreed it was what she wanted, deep down it really hurt. She felt like her mom given up on her and it’s a wound their relationship hasn’t ever recovered from.

Adjusting to a new school at sixteen was difficult -- most cliques had been solidified, friendships formed over a lifetime and Robin felt there was little room for her to insert herself and with the bulk of her support group living on the other side of the continent, those first few months were a bit isolating. But eventually, Robin found her footing. She made some friends, slowed down on the partying and found solace in art and music.

As with most things in her life, when it came to secondary education, Robin chose the easiest path. She went to Somerton University because it was close and despite her dodgy school records they accepted her, majored in graphic design because it was easy and she liked computers and forwent dorm living in favor of renting her dad’s basement apartment because it was familiar.

Robin lived in that apartment until she was twenty-four when her dad got remarried. She’d saved enough living there to have a sizeable safety net and she wanted to give the new couple some space. She loved her dad but didn’t want to risk the emotional scarring of walking in on him and his new wife canoodling. Despite initial reservations, Robin bonded pretty quickly with her new stepmother and her four-year-old son.

Biography

This will be the tl;dr bio and the full bio can be found on this page here! TW teen pregnancy, infertility

He was an unplanned pregnancy, his parents were both 16 years old. When his biological mom found out she was pregnant his dad basically noped out, denied all responsibility. 

Valentina (his biological mother) hid her pregnancy for as long as she could but once he family found out her father kicked her out of the house. After Sebastian was born the young mother struggled for months to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. As it became harder and harder to work as a new mother she made the difficult decision to put Sebastian up for adoption in hopes he would have a better life than what she could give him.

Sebastian was adopted by the Brant family, a couple from Somerton that couldn’t have children of their own. They’d already adopted one child and he was the second one adopted. The Brant’s adopted two more children in the following years. 

Sebastian was always fiercely protective of his siblings. It led to him getting into several fights in school when cruel children teased one of them about being adopted. School was far from his favorite thing because of it. His grades always hovered around the high C’s, low B’s because he only put in enough effort to keep his parents from being upset.

What he did love was sports! In high school he was on both the track team and the soccer team. He got a scholarship to Somerton University (entirely based on athletics and not his grades). Not having to leave town was an idea he loved so he went happily.

Not knowing what he wanted to do (and with a part of him holding on to hope he could do sports) Sebastian majored in psychology. The random choice in major ended up being the best decision he’d ever made because he met the woman that would eventually become his wife in class. 

After graduating it became clear Sebastian wasn’t going to become a famous soccer player and now he needed to figure out what he was really going to do with his life. He decided to enroll in the police academy (which had some in his family questioning why because until that moment he hadn’t been interested in being on the police force)

After graduating from the police academy Sebastian got a job with the Somerton Police Department as a rookie. From there working at the Somerton PD became a life long career for him. 

He proposed to his wife after he finished his probationary period and got a full time job. A year later they were married and they’ve been together since.

After they were settled and had built up some savings they became foster parents to help children with families that couldn’t or wouldn’t look after them.

Sebastian and his wife wanted a large family from the very beginning. They had two children and adopted two children. (I’m still deciding names because I’m indecisive but they’re all 13+)

Two years ago the old Chief of Police retired. Sebastian had worked his way up the ladder and was asked to fill the position on an interim basis. Once the position was officially posted he was invited to interview for it and was the successful candidate! 

The hours are a lot more demanding than he would like, it takes him away from his family far more often than he would like. 

F A M I L Y

MOTHER: lyra armstrong, nee karingal

FATHER: michael armstrong

SIBLING(S): sean (older brother), mason (older twin brother)

P H Y S I C A L

FACE CLAIM: darren criss

RACE/ETHNICITY: english, german, filipino, spanish, chinese

NATIONALITY: american

HEIGHT: 5 feet and six inches (5′6)

WEIGHT: 152 lbs

BUILD: slender, skinny, will often describe himself as scrawny

SCARS: inside of wrists, one above eyebrow

HAIR: black, curly

EYE COLOR: hazel

DOMINANT HAND: left

ACCENT: american (though rarely speaks)

PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: none, though needs glasses

MENTAL DISABILITIES: autisim, selective mutism

ALLERGIES: shellfish

DISORDERS: anxiety, depression

FASHION: prefers soft fabrics, often wears with overalls and doc martens

NERVOUS TICS: wringing hands together, fidgeting

L I F E S T Y L E

HOME ADDRESS: bridgeport, somerton, maine

RESIDES: medium sized loft apartment

BORN: conway, new hampshire

RAISED: conway, new hampshire

VEHICLE: range rover suv, black

PHONE: iphone xr

LAPTOP/COMPUTER: macbook pro, ipad pro

PET(S): service dog, northern inuit named ella

HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION: kennett high school

COLLEGE EDUCATION: the institute of fine arts, nyu

MAJOR: fine art

MINOR: illustration

CAREER: head baker

EMPLOYER: golden flour bakery

DIET: vegetarian 

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual

MARITAL STATUS: single

CHILDREN: none

LANGUAGES: english, american sign language

PHOBIAS: loud noises

HOBBIES: art, reading, journalling, soccer, video games

SOCIAL MEDIA: inactive on most, privacy settings high due to ex partner

F A V O R I T E

LOCATION: the reading nook in his apartment

VIDEO GAME: skyrim, animal crossing, horizon zero dawn, spyro, stardew valley

ARTIST: vincent van gogh

MUSIC: varying

SONG: radio gaga - queen

TV SHOWS: the umbrella academy, the witcher, friends, stranger things, doctor who, sherlock

MOVIES: the addams family, my neighbor totoro, jurassic park, hook, forrest gump

FOOD: asian

COLOR: yellow

C H A R A C T E R

MBTI: infj-t: the advocate

ENNEGRAM: six

TEMPERAMENT: melancholic

WESTERN ZODIAC: aquarius

CHINESE ZODIAC: monkey

PRIMAL SIGN: dolphin

B I O G R A P H Y

tw suicide attempt, self harm, abusive relationship

Logan Mayumi Armstrong is precisely three minutes and forty two seconds younger than his twin brother, Mason, and six years younger than his oldest sibling. He was a quiet baby who hardly ever cried and mostly kept to himself, even as a toddler. None of the family knew anything was wrong with Logan until he was five years old. The Armstrong family thought that maybe Logan was just a quiet child, or even a late bloomer. But soon enough, every other child in his play group could speak and Mason was already stringing together full sentences. Logan hadn’t uttered a single word and was taken to see a doctor, put through weeks of testing until finally, a result came through.

Logan was diagnosed with selective mutism. He had the ability to speak - the tests showed he had the physical ability, but he was unable to do so. The Armstrong family learned sign language in an effort to help their youngest son communicate and it was something he appreciated - he could actually ask for things now! More tests followed and eventually Logan was given a diagnosis of autism. He didn’t fully understand it, not when he was young, but he understood enough to know it made him different. He struggled to make friends in his class and often spent recess alone. Mason on the other hand, was confident and never shy of any friends. He was always around people, always out playing with his friends and happy.

Logan tried hard not to let his differences bother him. People didn’t understand him, that was what he told himself. He focused on the things he enjoyed instead, such as art. For Logan, it was a way of expressing himself without the need for words and he spent hours practicing, filling sketchbook after sketchbook. Art became his outlet, how he showed his feelings although most of his work he kept to himself. He didn’t want to upset anyone with his difference. He’d heard his mom crying when he was first diagnosed as autistic and understood being different made her sad. He’d heard his father say they could get through it and at least they had his siblings who would be able to lead “normal lives”. Those were the words his father had used and it hurt, to know he wasn’t normal. He’d known he was different, sure, but the thought of not being able to live a normal life hurt.

Logan never told either of his parents he’d overheard their conversation. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hear it but he was sure it wouldn’t be good if they knew. He began to withdraw even more than before, stopping using sign language and only used simple, one-word answers to questions. Logan was battling with himself. As he got older, he realised he was even more different to his peers than he thought. Everyone started getting girlfriends when he entered high school and Logan wasn’t really interested in that. He thought girls were beautiful, sure, but Logan thought guys were too. He told Mason one day who seemed taken aback by the confession. The people in their school found out that Logan wasn’t quite straight and things only got worse. He was already picked on relentlessly for his lack of speech and being different but with new fuel to the fire, they made Logan’s life miserable.

The most difficult thing for him to accept was that no one wanted him around. He felt isolated, more alone than ever and didn’t know who to turn to for help. What could he do? He struggled with communication at the best of times. His parents were concerned at how withdrawn he’d become and heard from Mason how the bullying had gotten worse at school. They took him to a doctor and Logan was diagnosed with depression. He refused to take his medication and hid the pills from his parents - he didn’t need another thing wrong with him and he didn’t want the medication. He was careful though and everyone thought he was taking them when he was supposed to, believing it would just take time for him to get better.

Death wasn’t something that scared Logan. He wasn’t afraid to die and it was something he’d welcome. He wasn’t really sure what spurred his decision; he hadn’t been on his medication since his diagnosis and he was gradually getting worse. He couldn’t think of any other way to deal with the mess that was him. So when Logan’s mother found him on the bathroom floor, barely conscious and in a pool of his own blood, no one had expected it.

Logan was forced to stay in hospital for three months after that. Physically he was fine, merely left with deep scars marking the insides of his wrists. But mentally, Logan wasn’t okay. He was forced to take his medication, made to attend counselling and managed to tell his therapist everything. It took a long time, what with his lack of communication, but eventually, they understood the reasoning behind it and Logan began to recover.

He finished the school year in between his home and the hospital, Mason bringing the work home to him and helping him set up his online classes. Logan managed to graduate with a respectable grade. He wanted to pursue college, wanted to take his art further and make a career out of it. His parents were terrified to let Logan travel so far away. But they understood and after a lengthy conversation and the promise he would keep in contact with them, Logan was off.

He flew to New York City to study Fine Art and Illustration. It was a new sense of freedom for him. He still wasn’t okay, but he made sure he took his medication and stuck to a strict schedule for himself. It helped him focus and Logan was able to enjoy himself, even make a couple of friends and get a job as a barista in a local coffee shop. It was in this coffee shop that he met the person who changed his life.

Matthew was a kind and caring man at first glance. He didn’t let Logan’s lack of speech bother him, continuing to visit the younger man every day with a bouquet of flowers until Logan agreed to go on a date. Things started off well - Matthew was patient with Logan’s difficulty communicating and he made him laugh. Logan thought he could actually be happy and was excited when after a few short months, Matthew asked him to move in with him.

But that was when things began to take a turn for the worst. Matthew seemed to lose the patience he had before. He grew frustrated at Logan’s inability to speak and would fly into a fit of rage more often than not. The first time he hit him was one of the worst. Logan told himself he’d leave him, he wouldn’t let himself be pushed around like this. But Matthew had broken down, told Logan he needed help and said he wouldn’t be able to survive without him. He told Logan he’d been suicidal in the past and he would die if Logan left. So Logan stayed, forgave Matthew each and every time he was hit, when he was shoved or when he was beaten. Matthew told him this was what he deserved and Logan started to believe it. The bruises were always carefully hidden and Logan accepted that this was what his life would be. He was afraid no one would believe him if he told the truth so he kept quiet. Even after he finished his degree, he stayed with his boyfriend. Months turned into years and still, Logan was too afraid to leave.

The sixth time he was hospitalised from his injuries was the breaking point. But it also provided Logan with a way out. Matthew was arrested and Logan discharged himself from the hospital before he recovered fully and ran. He managed to scrape some money together and left the city, travelling as far as he could.

BASICS.

full name: alexis rosa ortiz

age + birthday: thirty-five | 11/02/1985

gender + pronouns: cis female | she/her

sexual & romantic orientations: pansexual/homoromantic

hometown: miami, florida / somerton, maine 

occupation: chef / occasional waitress 

personality traits: playful, hard working, thoughtful, sarcastic, introverted, impulsive.

looks like: aubrey plaza

FAMILY.

mother: lacey rose

father.: alberto ‘beto’ ortiz

siblings: one older sister, two younger. 

other important relationships: abigail ( first love / heartbreak )

pets: she has a number of plant babies that may as well count as pets, each of which is name. she also has a small herb garden in her kitchen which she uses often in cooking. 

CHARACTER.

wester zodiac: scorpio 

chinese zodiac: ox 

primal sign: platypus

hogwarts: slytherclaw

one song: wildflowers - tom petty 

one book: fried green tomatoes - fannie flagg

one movie: ocean’s 8 

BIOGRAPHY. 

tw: parent death

Despite being born in a crowded hospital waiting room in Miami, Somerton has always been Alex’s home. Frustrated with a job that provided no room for growth, Alberto packed up his family and moved them up north when Alexis was barely two years old -- leaving behind warm weather and the comfort of family for the promise of better opportunities and a brighter future for his family. It was a risk, putting all of their life savings in a restaurant favoring Puerto Rican cuisine in small-town Maine, but it was one that would eventually pay with a lot of work and late nights working the grill. In many ways Alex and Beto’s restaurant grew up right along side each other -- hitting peaks and valleys at the same time -- and Alex often referred to the restaurant as her favorite sister. Something her three human sisters took great offence to.

Even at the best of times with three girls to support money was tight for the Ortiz family but Beto was determined to give his daughters every opportunity so they had to scrimp in other ways. Clipping coupons, searching out sales and purchasing a house whose size was not ideal for their family. Full house was an understatement. Five people packed into a two-bedroom home, but they made do, Beto often commenting they all would look back on this time fondly someday and how being surrounded by family was a gift -- but for Alex, it just felt crowded, like she had no space to breathe.

So, being her father’s daughter she made the best of a bad situation and found her own space outside the home. While her sisters stayed in pouring over Tiger Beat magazines and learning the latest dance craze, Alex was outside with her friends - staining every pair of jeans she owned and skinning elbows playing pick up sports and hide and seek with the other neighborhood kids.

This love of the great outdoors and active hobbies followed her into high school as she found herself drawn to the jocks and the varsity sports teams. And the cheerleaders. Oh, the cheerleaders. But it was one cheerleader, in particular, that would change the course of her whole life. Abigail. The two were immediately drawn to each other and it quickly occurred to her that Abigail wasn’t like any of her other friends. They were closer than friends. It wasn’t long before the pair were kissing under bleachers and holding hands under tables in the cafeteria. It was the kind of romance she’d only seen in movies and never

She was young and naive, but Alex was sure their love was indestructible. And it was... to a point. That point being Abigail’s father walking in on the couple canoodling in her bedroom during one of their ‘friendly’ sleepovers. The resulting screaming match knocked the wind right out of her, but it was the break up that followed that would haunt Alex for years.

Abi was quick to cover her tracks -- telling Alex it was just a phase and their friends that she’d pursued her relentlessly. Before Alex could even catch her breath the rumors started and by the time they’d made their way around the school, her sisters confronted her. An ultimatum was given -- either Alex could tell her parents or they would. For a week her heart lived in her throat -- she couldn’t eat or sleep, ruled by the anxiety of losing her family but she did it and though her parents initially struggled with the news they would eventually come to accept her and that was everything. While high school remained a challenge for Alex, she would go on to credit those years for making her the strong woman she’d grow into.

It’s also what gave her the courage to set out and carve her path, taking a year after graduation to travel the United States -- working when she needed to and camping in as many national parks as she could. Eventually, she settled in the San Fransisco bay area and studied culinary arts, following in her father’s footsteps in her own way.