Debbie Franklin:
CLASS OF 1984
Cactus High SchoolClass of 1984
Glendale, AZ
Mountain Shadows Elementary SchoolClass of 1991
Glendale, AZ
Constitution Elementary SchoolClass of 1989
Phoenix, AZ
Kachina Elementary SchoolClass of 1980
Glendale, AZ
Pioneer Elementary SchoolClass of 1978
Glendale, AZ
Debbie's Story
Life
Right after college, I got married and settled in the Phoenix/Glendale area. I continued my education, worked hard to establish a career, and somewhere along the line it all just didnÂt fit anymore.
Last time I saw most of you (at the 10 year reunion in 1994) I wasnÂt really happy with where my life was going. Things spiraled right after that, and in 1996, one career change and one divorce later, I left Phoenix, and moved to Northern, California.
Fast forward to the present and IÂm still in San Jose. In 1999 I remarried. His name is Bruce, heÂs from Sydney Australia, and there are times when I forget that this hasnÂt been my life all along because it just feels that ÂrightÂ. We spend time in Sydney whenever we can to spend time with BruceÂs family.
We love Australia, and in the perfect combination of lottery winnings and early retirement, we would end up there some dayÂ
but in the reality of the work place and lack of lottery payoffs, California is our home for the foreseeable future.
There are days I can hardly remember anyone but a select few from Cactus, and yet there are times that it seems only like yesterday. I donÂt know about the rest of you, but I hear the voice of certain friends and IÂm 17 all over again and not a day has gone by. I cherish every moment we all shared, the goodÂ
the badÂ
and even those memories better left unremembered.
In December, 2003 we were blessed with the birth of our son. Becoming parents to this amazing and adorable person is the most spectacular event, and nothing can compare.
College
After graduation, I spent my first year at Glendale Community College, getting the basics out of the way and saving up money for NAU. I spent most of my college years working two jobs, and studying.
Other than a some very memorable times with friends and/or roommates over the years ( Tara, Vicky, Maria, Kim, Howie, Eric, Lisa, Melissa, Michelle & John) that part of my life doesn't really stand out in my memory. College was just a stepping stone to whatever I was going to do next.
I earned my undergraduate degree in Elementary and Special Education, graduating from NAU in 1988, and started teaching that same year for Deer Valley School District in Phoenix.
Later, I enrolled in co...Expand for more
urses through Arizona University West Campus and Northern Arizona University Extension programs and earned my Master's in Education from NAU in 1994. Started working on Administrator Certification to become School Principal, and was close to completing when I took a new career path in 1996.
At the time I stopped taking classes I figured I'd been in some type of school setting (student or teaching) every year of my life since 1969! It was time to do something different with my life. ;)
Workplace
I started out as a teacher, and later started working in school administration in the role of Assistant Principal. A computer and the internet had found it's way into my life and I started producing online education conferences for an online service called eWorld (Apple's version of AOL). eWorld closed in 1996 and the people who created it were opening a new online community called Talk City. I submitted a proposal for an online community for Teachers, Kids, and Parents and the rest just fell into place.
I left my job with the school district and packed my bags to work for Internet Start up in Silicon Valley with Talk CityÂs parent companyÂ
LiveWorld, Inc).! From 1996-now is a really long story that these bioÂs donÂt leave room for tellingÂ
but like most Internet Start up stories youÂve heard, there were highs (the peopleÂ
the energy), and there were lows (had to downsize, sold the Talk City portion of the company, stock dropped..etc).
Initially I was a Content Producer and as the company grew my role with them grew too. Over the years I oversaw various operations in our online community, and went on to become Director of Client Services. Currently for LiveWorld, IÂm in charge of our Community Management, Customer Support, online Moderation Services departments. I also dabble a bit in sales, a bit in product development, and stick my nose in enough technical stuff to really bug our engineers and IT teams.
LiveWorld produces online social networking products and services for companies like eBay, HBO, and CampbellÂs Soup. I LOVE my job, despite the craziness of the economy, and though I miss the Âkids aspect of teaching, I really love the flexibility and challenges that come with this job, and my new life here in Northern California.
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