“I decided to study special education and fell in love with working with individuals with autism. That's what I planned to do with my life.”

“Be careful who you choose as your hero or who you choose to deify, be it Clay Aiken or Barack Obama. You put all you're hope and all your dreams and all your ideas about stuff into one human being. They're a human being they're going to let you down. You can't make someone your hero because of something you read on the internet. The internet is not a source of information it is a source of disinformation.”

“If my career detour from special education to singing has done one thing, it has afforded me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others.”

“I went to school for special education. I always assumed when I had the opportunity I would love to try and help kids with disabilities.”

“I decided to study special education and fell in love with working with individuals with autism. That's what I planned to do with my life.”

“But I was going to be a teacher my entire life, so I wasn't counting on money to much.”

“I had a Spanish teacher in high school. I rarely got in trouble in her room because I felt I was disappointing her if I got a bad grade. That had more power over me than teachers who told me I talked too much. That level of respect I had for her made me not want to fail for her.”

“Well, financially it's a little bit better. But it's better than than when I was a teacher. But I kind of - it's allowed me to buy a house. And I've been able to help my mother with some stuff and my brother. So, that's nice.”

“I did get a degree in special education.”

“My mother taught me that we all have the power to achieve our dreams. What I lacked was the courage.”