Occupation: I’m a physician assistant at Newtown MediSpa on South Main Street. I do all of the injectables for the practice, chemical peels, and laser hair removal. We’ve been at this location since December, but I’ve been a PA for 18 years, in women’s health for the first ten years and emergency medicine. This is my happy place!

Family: My husband is Tim. We have three kids. Lianna is 10 years old and goes to Reed Intermediate School. Kalia is 6 years old and Mia is almost 3 years old.

Pets: We have Seamus, the German shepherd. Seamus was supposed to be the name if we ever had a boy; we had all girls, so the dog gets the name.

How long have you been in Newtown? We have been in Sandy Hook since 2005.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love gardening. I have vegetable and flower gardens. I like doing activities with the kids in school. I’m an Odyssey of the Mind leader for Lianna, and a Daisy troop leader for Kalia. I do work out at CrossFit in Newtown. I like to read my Nook on my hammock in the backyard.

Do you have a favorite book? I try and read the books my 10-year-old is reading. We read them together and then have our own “book club” night to talk about the books. We read the Hunger Games series together, and are reading Starters, which is really good.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? The Caribbean is my favorite. I love Aruba. My grandparents had a timeshare there so I visited it a lot growing up. The people there are very, very friendly.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The people! I lived most of my life on Staten Island. When I came here, I was afraid I’d be a fish out of water. But people were welcoming and warm and I’ve made some of my best friends ever. Everyone here understands the importance of family. And I’m so proud of this town and how everyone has pulled together since 12/14. This town encompasses everything I saw in the movies about small town life.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My mom and my children. My mom has always influenced me to make good decisions and stressed the importance of education. My children have made all my decisions easier. They are my deciding factors in whatever I do. The decisions I make will be what is best for them and the best model for them.

Do you have a personal philosophy? Stay positive. If you put positive out there, positive will come your way. If you’re positive, you’ll create the bright side and help others to see another side of things.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Singing and dancing to freestyle 1980s music… and I can’t sing or dance!