Wyatt Smart Story

 Modern Medicine

“Health is the greatest of human blessings.”

—Hippocrates

Through the aging process, we as adults deal with various ailments that are common among our peers. Treatments that have come with technology and modern medicine allow us to continue living our lives with minimal disruption. Changes in routine may be required, but with these adjustments, we are often able to continue with our normal work and activity routine. Although children normally do not have to navigate each day with health concerns, they are not immune. Harper Creek junior Wyatt Smart has lived with Type 1 diabetes for the past four years. His diagnosis initially jolted his family with a wave of emotions, including fear and uncertainty. Although he and his parents face each day with a bit more caution than they may have before his diagnosis, technology in the medical arena, combined with healthy choices, has allowed Wyatt to continue life as a normal teen with some interventions in place to monitor his condition and help provide his body with what is needed to face the rigors of teenage life.

Wyatt’s life experiences are similar to those of many of his peers. He talked about some of his childhood history. “I was born July 4, 2008, in Indianapolis. One of my earliest childhood memories is of my grandpa teaching me how to fish. Fishing with my dad and my grandpa has provided some of my fondest memories. I still do some fishing on my grandparents’ lake over by Adrian, Michigan.” Wyatt is the oldest of two children for his parents, Craig and Rhonda Smart. His brother Conner, a Harper Creek freshman,  is three years younger than him. Rhonda is a teacher at Wattles Park Elementary, and Craig teaches at the Doris Klausen Center. 

Other than his mom being a teacher in elementary school, his memories of being a student at Wattles Park are similar to those of many children during their elementary school years. “It was nice to be able to go to school with Mom each morning and come home at night with her. I wanted Mom to be my teacher when I was in second grade, but she didn’t think that was a good idea. I always enjoyed hanging out with my friends on the tire swings at recess. I am still good friends with some of my friends from Wattles Park. Ryland Pastor has been one of my best friends since Kindergarten. We are both in the marching band and the jazz band.”

Making the jump from elementary school to Middle School for Wyatt meant waking up an hour earlier each day and not being in the same building as his mom. He reflected on this transition. “Moving on to middle school was a little weird at first. It took time to get used to knowing other students who weren’t at Wattles with me. In time, I made new friends.” Playing in the band would become one of Wyatt’s favorite activities starting in Middle School.  “I started band in 5th grade. My class was the last group that had band in 5th grade. Now it starts in the 6th grade. I started playing just the trumpet, but now I am learning the bass guitar. I’m hoping that by the time I am a senior, I can start playing bass guitar for some songs for our jazz band concerts.” Band has provided balance in Wyatt’s life. He talked about what being in the band means to him. “I like band. I love playing the trumpet. Much of the music we play is amazing. Because of band, I have a great group of friends. I see myself continuing to play the trumpet and guitar after high school, and I may try to join a jazz band when I go off to college.” 

Wyatt began playing hockey when he was eight years old, an activity he continues to enjoy today. He shared some details about playing hockey. “I started with the Battle Creek Bruins,  playing for them until I was eleven years old. When I turned twelve, I began playing for the Broncos in Kalamazoo. Later, I played with a team in Lansing for three years when I was thirteen. Now I play for the Battle Creek Bruins again.” Hockey has turned into a passion for Wyatt. “I love the game of hockey,” he said. “Skating is something that I enjoy very much. The game of hockey is a fun environment to be in.” The thrill of competition and being an athlete despite being diabetic has given a new meaning to the game for Wyatt, but like most sports, it is more than an athletic competition. “I have made many friends through hockey, and it's always fun hanging out with them on the ice. It does take up a lot of time, but it is always worth it. During the season, I probably spend ten hours per week on hockey. One thing that does get difficult with hockey is that it takes away time that I could be spending with my non-hockey friends.” 

 

Hockey has always been Wyatt’s primary sport, but he also participated in swimming in 7th grade. It was then that he began noticing some physical changes. “ I started getting bad cramps,” Wyatt said. “We thought they were for swimming. The muscle cramps were getting worse. My leg would cramp up so bad that I couldn’t move my foot. I started getting tired, I was always dehydrated even though I was drinking plenty of water, and I started losing weight.” Craig and Rhonda finally decided it was time to go see the doctor. “The doctor said that the symptoms I was experiencing were from my going through puberty. The doctor suggested that I drink a protein shake after every practice. I did this for a while, but I continued to lose weight nonetheless. We went back to the doctor two more times. After the third time, a blood test was ordered, which confirmed that I had type 1 diabetes.” 

Now that Wyatt finally had a diagnosis, his life would change. He would have to live with diabetes for the rest of his life, but the diagnosis brought with it a plan of treatment to help him live his life as normally as possible. Wyatt described what things have been put in place to keep his condition manageable. “After being diagnosed, I started eating more snacks between meals to keep my blood sugar stable. I also cut out a lot of carbs and ate more protein.” In a short time, Wyatt has learned much about diabetes. He has become his own advocate and has seized the opportunity to educate others. “Carbs will raise blood sugar,” he explained. “For individuals with diabetes, the pancreas stops working, and therefore the body doesn’t have insulin. Insulin helps to break down carbs into energy, so without insulin, carbs are not beneficial. Without the insulin, carbs are not broken down and they are absorbed into the body as sugar.” Wyatt went on to describe the symptoms he was experiencing prior to his diagnosis and treatment. “Because I was not getting the nutrients I needed, my body was taking my fat stores for energy. This is why I was losing weight. I also felt tired all the time and didn’t have energy because my body couldn’t utilize the energy from the food I was eating. My body needs insulin to survive, so I have to take it several times a day. I also take vitamin D daily because diabetics tend to have low vitamin D levels.” The amount of insulin that Wyatt takes day to day is dependent on his blood sugar level. “For the most part, if I eat like I am supposed to eat and use insulin when needed, I am able to function as a teenager and an athlete and have enough energy to get through the day. I am connected to an insulin pump most of the day. I take it off when I play hockey. I wear a device on my arm that reads my blood sugar level and alerts my pump to give me insulin when needed. Normal blood sugar level is 80-100. If my blood sugar gets too high, my pump will start giving my body insulin.” For Wyatt, staying healthy and out of a dangerous situation requires more than a device reading his blood sugar and a pump providing insulin for his body. “If my blood sugar goes below 70, I need to eat something right away. Even though the device alerts my monitor, I can usually tell if my sugar level is too high or too low. I will usually cramp up, become tired, or have a headache because of being dehydrated when I am high. I will feel shaky and weak when I am low. It’s not the pancreas that is compromised; it's the body's immune system, which is compromised, because diabetes is an autoimmune disease.” 

It is critical for Wyatt and his parents to understand the nuances of diabetes and to recognize when his blood sugar reaches unsafe levels and what to do when this happens. It is also important for Wyatt’s teachers and coaches to have some basic knowledge of his diagnosis and treatment plan. Dealing with diabetes on a personal level and learning about its side effects, and managing it have taught Wyatt the importance of implementing a healthy lifestyle. Wyatt explained why being educated about a disease is important for not just the person with the disease but also those who interact with these individuals. “I feel that teachers should know what students in their classrooms have serious health concerns, be made aware of symptoms and how to handle specific situations, and provide substitute teachers with some basic information about this on their lesson plans.”

Diabetes has no doubt changed Wyatt’s life. It has also done the same for his family. Wyatt elaborated on the role his parents have played in his life as a diabetic. “Having both parents as teachers and being in the buildings that they teach in has been great. When my dad was teaching at the high school, it was extra reassuring for me as a diabetic. Also, my dad has changed his eating habits because of my diabetes, because the way a diabetic eats is really the healthier way all people should eat.”

Although dealing with a childhood disease may equip kids with traits such as determination and smarter decision-making, no parent wants their child to go through the trials of a health scare. Rhonda shared her reflections on the impact of being a parent with a diabetic child has had on her. “When Wyatt was first diagnosed, there was a lot of worry. I was concerned about how diabetes would impact the rest of his life. It was exhausting physically, emotionally, and financially. Initially, insurance wouldn’t pay for his monitor. I regularly have to fight for insurance to cover his diabetic supplies. Before Wyatt had the monitor, I would set my alarm at 2 AM every night to check his blood sugar. When insurance finally paid for the technology, it made things a little easier. His monitor will automatically alert me through an app on my phone when his blood sugar is off. We have learned a lot, and so things are easier because we know how to deal with them better. Not long after Wyatt’s diagnosis, our entire family attended a two-day training at Bronson to learn as much as we could about diabetes and how to manage it.  I have become an advocate for people to understand other people who have diabetes or other serious illnesses.”

Seeing anyone deal with a major illness is not easy. Witnessing it with a child adds a layer of difficulty to this. Modern medicine has made it much easier for normal life to continue with adjustments. Wyatt’s persistence in becoming educated about his disease has served him well and will continue to benefit him for the rest of his life. His willingness to be an advocate for and teach others willing to listen will help those currently dealing with diabetes and future diabetics. 

Karen Westlake Story

 Seeing the World

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

—-St. Augustine

Many people spend a significant portion of their lives working forty hours a week, living their lives in a manner that is typical of most individuals from early adulthood through middle age and into retirement. Memories are made during this time with friends and family, and the years spent earning a living in a career. There are ample opportunities for play during this season of life, with week-long vacations to remote destinations within our country's borders and abroad, as well as long weekend excursions closer to home. These trips are always fun and full of good times, but many look to retirement, saving money for longer periods of time for travel. Imagine spending a long career working hard while having these frequent opportunities to see the world. Wattles Park Elementary lunch aide, Karen Westlake, enjoyed a fulfilling career as an International Flight Attendant, embracing each opportunity to travel across the oceans multiple times each year. 

Karen spent much of her career taking up residence in three of the world’s largest metropolises, while living on the East Coast in New York City, early in her career, moving on to the West Coast and San Francisco and Los Angeles later, before moving back to her childhood home, Battle Creek. She reflected on some of the highlights from her childhood. “I was born on August 26, 1943, at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo to Margaret Averill/Krauchunas and Al Krauchunas. My brother Jim came three years later. I attended kindergarten at Lakeview, and then spent first grade through eighth grade at St. Joseph Elementary.” Karen went on to St. Phillip Catholic High School, from St. Joe, graduating in 1961. “I didn’t participate in a lot of extracurricular activities while in school,” Karen said, “but I was a cheerleader.”

Karen made many memories as a child outside of school hours as well. “Growing up, we spent much of the summers at our family cottage on Gun Lake,”  Karen recalled. “We spent our days swimming and water skiing. When we weren’t at the cottage, we were at Bailey Park, where my dad umpired baseball and coached Little League teams that my brother played on. Another highlight growing up was always having pets, mostly cats and dogs.”  

Karen’s parents moved around some, but eventually established roots in Battle Creek. “I was a toddler when World War 2 started,” Karen said.  “Mom and I stayed in Kalamazoo while Dad joined the Navy and was stationed in the Pacific. Dad was one of twenty-three survivors of three Destroyer ships that were sunk in a typhoon. For three days, he and the others clung to a life raft in raging winds and rains before being rescued by a hospital ship.” It was a dangerous and scary situation for Karen’s father, but fortunately, he was not injured. Karen gave more details about her childhood after her dad’s time in the Navy. “After Dad was discharged from the Navy, we moved to Grand Rapids for a  short while and then to Battle Creek, where he worked as the Director of Parks and Recreation, after which he went to work for the public relations department at Eatons until he retired.”

After graduating from St. Phil, Karen continued with her education. “I attended and graduated from KCC,”  Karen explained. “Then, I went to Michigan State, where I studied English Literature and Education. At the time, I wanted to be a teacher.” Karen seemed content continuing at Michigan State to earn her teaching degree, but an unexpected opportunity intrigued her, and she shifted her focus. “During spring break of my second year at MSU, a friend of mine asked me to drive her to Detroit for an interview to be a flight attendant for Pam Am Airlines. I accompanied her into the Pan Am office, and the receptionist handed me an application, telling me that I might as well fill this out too.” 

Karen hadn’t considered dropping out of school before the drive to Detroit with her friend. She completed the job application for Pan Am on a whim, not expecting to be offered a job or even an interview. “They offered me a job on the spot, and without really thinking about it, I quit school. Pan Am sent me to Miami for training, and my life changed forever.” 

After training in Miami, Karen moved to the Big Apple. “I started working for Pam Am in 1963,” she explained. “Initially, I was based out of New York, staying there for nine years. I lived in Manhattan for three years and then Long Island for six years.”  Karen may have been a small-town girl from the Upper Midwest, but the big city life left a lasting impact on her. “I loved living in Manhattan. I shared an apartment overlooking the East River with four other flight attendants. We were rarely all there together because of differing flight schedules. It was the 1960s. We dressed in nice clothes and high heels anywhere we went, even if it was just to go to the grocery store.”  It seemed that every day in New York City was filled with energy. “It was thrilling, having grown up in the Midwest and then moving to Manhattan. We would go to Broadway plays and take in all the culture that the big city had to offer.”

Karen’s downtime from work was not really downtime, with the time spent immersing herself in the activities of the city that never sleeps. Being at her home base in NYC may have created a buzz for Karen, but the sights she would see as a part of her job in the airline industry had their share of perks as well. Karen reflected on what made her job so special. “While based in New York, I worked on flights to Europe, Africa, and South America. We had a daily flight that actually went around the world. The airplane continued to its destination, while the crew would layover. A new crew would take over and fly to the next destination in the airplane’s journey. While working this particular flight, we were away for up to twelve days at a time, with as many days off after returning to NYC. We would lay over in certain cities and stay at the same hotels each time there while waiting to return. We would get to know the people working at these hotels because we were there so often.” 

 During her time working out of NYC, Karen spent seven years working on flights to Africa. “My favorite flights were the ones to Africa,” Karen shared. “Our main layover was on the west coast in Monrovia, Liberia. Next to the airport was the Firestone Rubber Plantation, the second-largest rubber plantation in the world. Depending on the day of the week, from Liberia, we would work a flight out of Kenya and Tanzania on the east coast or down to Johannesburg, South Africa, stopping at different countries along the way. These trips were twelve days long.”

  Karen talked about some of her adventures during the time she spent in Africa between flights. “I can vividly remember a precarious situation that occurred before we boarded a plane in Liberia to Doula, Cameroon, on the west coast. Right before we boarded, we were informed that Africa was on Red Alert. Pan Am headquarters in New York had received a call from a terrorist group saying they were going to blow up one of three Pan AM planes in Africa that day. The flight was delayed, the plane was emptied, and an extensive search was completed. Fortunately, there were no bombs found on any of the three flights.” 

Karen explained that at this time in the 1970s, many planes were being hijacked. She shared a specific hijacking incident one of her co-workers experienced. “One of my friends was working a flight when her plane was hijacked. The hijackers made her hold a grenade the entire flight. The plane eventually landed, and the hijackers were taken into custody.”

Some flights would take Karen away from home for a few days at a time, with other flights requiring a longer amount of time away. She explained how this worked. “We would bid on lines of trips each month, and would fly with the same crew for the month. For most of the African trips, we would be out of town for up to twelve days. I was away from home a lot. I never took my job for granted. I got paid to see the world.” 

Karen would eventually pack her bags and move to the West Coast. “I met my first husband, Woody, while we both worked for Pan Am in New York,” Karen recalled. “When Woody was offered a job in Public Relations for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in San Francisco, I transferred to Pan Am’s San Francisco base. After living in San Francisco for a year, Woody was asked to head up Public Relations for Lockheed in Los Angeles. We moved to LA, and I transferred to Pan Am’s LA Base.” Woody and Karen enjoyed their time in LA. “We loved LA,” Karen said, spending most of our free time sailing to and around Catalina Island.” 

Working out of the West Coast allowed Karen to visit places she had not been to while working out of NYC. “When I was based in LA, I worked flights to Hawaii, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Australia, New Zealand, and many other locations.” 

Karen finished her career back in the Midwest. “After my father had a stroke, I transferred to Pan Am’s Chicago Base, so I could help Mom take care of Dad back home in Battle Creek. ” Karen said. “I would drive to Grand Rapids to fly to Chicago to work my flights, many to the Pacific area.” 

Experiencing locations abroad was something that Karen appreciated about her job as a flight attendant. It wasn’t just seeing different parts of the world that appealed to her while working for Pan Am. “Some of my fondest memories from working in the airline industry come from the people that I was fortunate enough to meet,” Karen said. “I met many famous people while working for the airlines, including Jack Costeau, James Michner, Tom Jones, Harry Belafonte, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Sylvestore Stallone.”

Karen retired in 1993 but has remained busy since then. Seeing the variety of wildlife in the many regions of the earth was something that Karen enjoyed during her career. After retirement, she found a way to keep connected to animals found around the world. “Binder Park Zoo was advertising for docents in 1996,” Karen explained. “I have always been an animal lover and decided it would be fun to volunteer at the zoo. I helped out in the education department and worked as a receptionist for eleven years.”  Volunteering at Binder Park Zoo helped to fulfill Karen’s life during her retirement. She could still experience the world without leaving her hometown. Although she hasn’t helped out at the zoo for nearly two decades, animals continue to be a big part of her life. She has a dog and a cat. Her favorite pet is Sonny, her horse. Although she doesn’t ride Sonny as much as she would like to, she still cherishes her time with him. 

After retiring, Karen married again. She reflected on her second marriage. “I met my second husband, Harold Chase. He was a retired teacher, having taught Government at Lakeview High School for many years. We started dating and were married in 1998. We were married  fourteen years when Harold passed away in 2012.”

After Harold passed away, Karen decided to search for something to do to fill her time. “I worked part-time at Horrocks from 2016 until 2020,” she recalled. “I quit during the pandemic, and returned a few years later, but had to quit again because of shoulder surgery.”

Having gone through shoulder surgery, Karen didn’t think she would ever go back to work. After a successful recovery, she decided she was ready to work again. The job opening at Wattles Park as a lunch and recess aide was perfect, allowing her a few hours each day to get out of the house while also earning a little extra money. It has allowed her to utilize one of her greatest strengths, that being nurturing children. She spoke about being a part of the Harper Creek family. “I started working in the cafeteria at Wattles Park in January of 2025. I love working there. It’s a perfect part-time job. I truly enjoy working with the kids. I would like to continue working at Wattles Park for as long as I am able.”

Karen has been blessed with a lifetime of experiences from her time growing up in a small Midwest town, while living in NYC and California, and while traveling across the world in her career in the airline industry. This feeling of a life fulfilled has continued into retirement and moving back to Battle Creek while volunteering at Binder Park Zoo, and now with the rewards that children in our schools provide each day. Upon reflection, she offered these words of advice.  “After all my experiences, I would encourage others to live life to your fullest.” 

Precious Shaver's Story

 Forks In the Road

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road…Unless you fail to make the turn.”

—Helen Keller

Building relationships with students is an ongoing and essential part of the teaching process. Creating relationships among staff is also important, especially in building a strong team. My recent interview with Precious Shavers for Harper Unsung Hero was a reminder of this process. We all get to know each other on a professional level as we work alongside each other day after day and year after year. With the time spent together, it is inevitable that personal connections are developed as well. Conversations and experiences about family, childhood memories, and shared interests help to build trust in one another as we go about our jobs. Still, there are details about the lives of the individuals we work with that we are unaware of. It is my hope that these monthly stories help to foster the development of understanding each other and getting to know our co-workers while providing a dose of inspiration. For me personally, sitting down with a different individual each month through the interview process, having a conversation about their life experiences, and then writing their stories has allowed me to appreciate my work peers on a higher level, one story at a time. 

Precious was born prematurely. She talked about this and the impact this had on her life. “I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1991, three months early, to Linda Johnson and Bryan Patterson. I grew up with kidney issues because they weren’t fully developed when I was born. I was on medication for a while to treat this, and was fortunate to grow out of it. There were also drugs in my system at birth. Later, as an adult, I was diagnosed with ADHD, something I feel that I dealt with as a child that was a byproduct of my birth history.”

 Precious was raised in a blended family. “I am the youngest of four siblings from my mom,” Precious said,  “with one brother, Toji, and two sisters, Loteah and Darqualla. I am the oldest of three siblings from my dad, with two brothers, both named Bryan. I also have three older foster sisters, Rameca, Kirstey, and Amber, and two foster brothers. Logan and Romello, who are younger than I am.”  Precious moved in with her grandma from her mom’s side after her mom lost custody when Precious was approximately a year old. Both her mom and dad would visit her, but it was very limited. “My mom and dad didn’t have much contact with me when I was growing up,” Precious explained. “They might pop in for a few days, but then they would leave again. Grandma adopted me and my siblings.”

Precious’ grandma passed away in 1999, which would start a pattern of many forks in the road for her. She reflected on this transition. “After my grandma passed away when I was eight years old, I moved in with my sister’s father. Dartanion and his wife, Kim. I lived with them and their children until I graduated from high school. I was a ward of the state after my grandma passed away, but Kim became my legal guardian.”

Precious has fond memories from her childhood, living on Wood Street with her grandma and later with Dartanion and Kim’s family. “After school each day, we always had chores to do, and then we could play,” Precious recalled. “ We would play outside until it was time to come inside for the evening. There were a lot of kids in the neighborhood, and we all played together. We rode our bikes and scooters. I can remember playing kickball in the street.” 

Precious started kindergarten at Dudley Elementary while living with her grandma, and from there she attended Wilson Academy. She always liked school, but things were difficult initially at Wilson Academy. “The transition was scary, but my third-grade teacher, Ms. Ptacek, helped me with this,” Precious said. “In fourth grade, I started having behavior issues. I began therapy after this. This helped with my behavior at the time by helping me to be more vocal with identifying my emotions when I was upset, rather than lashing out physically.” 

Although she enjoyed school, Precious was bullied at times, which made learning hard. She discussed this. “I was short and chunky, and I was picked on because of this. The adults and teachers were supportive and made me feel that I belonged. I also really enjoyed art. When I was upset, I was allowed to go to the art room to draw and color. Art was therapeutic for me and still is today.” As much as Precious liked elementary school, the best was yet to come. “I attended Southwestern Middle School from sixth to eighth grade,” she said. “This was my favorite school experience by far. I participated in extracurricular activities, playing basketball and volleyball. I had a close core group of friends, and the teachers were really cool.”

Precious appreciated her core group of friends, but her siblings went to Battle Creek Central, and she wanted to find her own niche and go to another school district after middle school.  “I wanted to go to Harper Creek in high school, but I was not able to get in,” she explained. “I ended up going to Lakeview. It was hard leaving my friends from middle school, although I was still in contact with them. I did have one friend from Southwestern who came to Lakeview, and I was also able to make new friends. I also had to play catch-up academically my freshman year because the curriculum at Lakeview was a little more advanced than at Battle Creek Public.” Precious wasn’t involved in athletics in high school but participated in other extracurricular activities. She talked about this. “I was part of the Black History Month Program at Lakeview, and I was also a part of the Grief Group. My brother passed away at the age of twenty-five. The doctors think that he had a blood clot, which caused him to have a heart attack. It was hard for me to lose him. The Grief Group helped. It was kids my age going through the same things that I was going through, and I appreciated this outlet.”

Precious graduated from Lakeview High School in 2009 and came to another major fork in the road. “After finishing high school, I had a falling out with Kim and Dartanion,” Precious explained.  “I decided to go to Illinois to try to get to know my birth dad, who lived there. I was interested in journalism as a career, so I enrolled at Prairie State College in Illinois to begin the process of getting a journalism degree. The attempt to reconnect with my dad didn’t work out. After a semester and a half at Prairie State, I dropped out.” Precious packed her bags and headed south. She talked about this next transition in her life. “While in Illinois, I was introduced to some of my cousins. We decided to leave Illinois and move to Georgia. I worked at a seafood restaurant while in Georgia.”

A year after moving to Georgia, Precious came back home for a wedding. “My sister was getting married in Battle Creek, so I came back for the wedding and decided to stay,” Precious said. “I started working at Burger King, becoming an assistant manager there for three years.” Precious was back home and living independently as an adult, but she couldn’t decide for sure what she wanted to do. She reflected on her next transition. “I left Burger King and was hired at TRMI, working there for four years from 2016 to 2020. During this time, I also decided to try college again and enrolled at KCC. Being a student again was very difficult, and I dropped out after half a semester. I decided to seek help with the difficulties I was having with school and was diagnosed with ADHD.”

Circumstances had Precious shifting gears again, after a lengthy period of time of working at TRMI. “TRMI was shut down during the pandemic, and I never went back,” Precious recalled. “Then I started working for Applied Behavior and Autism Services in Battle Creek, doing in-home Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. My best friend had a baby who was autistic. This sparked my interest in working with autistic kids. Eventually, I started doing therapy for a client at Lens Learning Center in Battle Creek. After a short time, the director of Lens Learning Center offered me a job there.” Precious continued her job doing ABA therapy while also working for Lens Learning Center. She left Lens Learning Center in 2022, taking a pay raise to work for Hungry Howie's. She still enjoyed her job doing ABA therapy and continued with this as well. 

Although Precious went from one job to another, she enjoyed working with autistic students. Her interest in working with children would eventually bring her to Harper Creek. “In 2023, I started working as a before-and-after-school daycare provider and as a lunch aid for Wattles Park,” Precious said.  “In December of that year, I was hired as a one-on-one aide for Wattles and quit working as a lunch aide to be able to do this job full-time. I continued doing before and after school day care.”  Like many of her co-worker peers, Precious signed on to be a part of the Grow Your Own Grant, a program through Western Michigan University, providing a free opportunity for many of our paraprofessionals to become certified teachers. “ I would like to be a middle school social studies or English teacher when I finish my program through WMU,” Precious explained.  “I am due to graduate in May 2027.”

Precious has had a multitude of experiences not only as a child but also in the years since she graduated from high school, living, going to school, and working in Illinois, and then moving to and working in Georgia before coming back home. Since her return to Battle Creek, she has worked in a factory setting and in the fast food industry. It seems she has finally settled into a lifelong career as an educator. She reflected on being a part of the Harper Creek family. “I feel like I have found my niche working with kids. I really like the community here at Wattles Park and Harper Creek. Working here has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. My only regret is that I didn’t come here sooner. Mr. Swan has let me help with crowd control at the football games. I enjoy doing this. I also enjoy doing morning announcements when Mr. Swan is unavailable.” 

The road has been long for Precious to be where she is now. With all that she went through as a child and a young adult, she has struggled with mental health issues. “Although I wasn’t diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) in 2014, I know that I have struggled with mental illness much of my life. I take medications to treat these disorders and see a therapist in spurts. I realize that keeping things bottled up is not helpful in the long run. I hate asking for help, but I am getting better at this. Asking for help makes me feel like a burden, which stems from my childhood and never feeling like I had a place to fit in.”

Precious’ past has taken her in many different directions. These experiences have all made her who she is. Her past has shaped her life, but she realizes the importance of looking beyond this.  Her philosophy of life is not to spend time looking in the rearview mirror. Her words of advice for others are as follows. “Don’t let your past define your future.”

Precious has found her calling as an educator, but still spends her free time pursuing her original dream as a writer. “I have written a book series, composed of three books. I have also written two other books, not a part of a series, and am currently writing another one.” Precious also enjoys writing poetry. 

Precious’ philosophy on life is a set of words to reflect on.  There are not many among us whose lives have followed a straight path without any forks to navigate. It is always wise to learn from the past and refreshing to celebrate previous successes and victories. Planning for and preparing for the future is also advisable. More importantly than looking behind and getting caught up in what is to come is seizing the moment and making the best of the present, one day at a time.