Melanie West:
CLASS OF 1991
Willamette High SchoolClass of 1991
Eugene, OR
Melanie's Story
Life
Where to begin.... Well, I didn't exactly graduate from Willamette. I moved to Cottage Grove my senior year and graduated from there. There were a few years after graduation where I wandered around trying to find myself. I was up to a lot of no good and going nowhere fast. I was dealing with the death of my best friend and tried starting college. That didn't go very well.
I have been married since 1994. My wonderful son was born on Christmas day 1996. He's the pride and joy of my life. I was blessed to be a stay at home mom until he started the 1st grade. My biggest dream in life was to be a mom, so my dream has come true. Unfortunately, I was unable to have more children. I'm just so blessed to have such a smart, loving, and funny son! I know... I'm a gushing mom!!!
I was inspired to begin doing foster care. I wanted to take my experiences with abuse, dysfunctional families, and drug use and put them to good use. I figured that after doing 5 years of therapy myself that I was the best person for the job to help other girls who were in the same situati...Expand for more
on. I have been doing treatment foster care for teenage girls who have been in detention for the past 8 years. It is not always fun, but there is nothing more rewarding than seeing most of the girls turn it around and do well for themselves. I always tell them that I could have been exactly in their position if I had been caught more. I can relate with them, and they trust me more since I've walked their path. It has also taught my son to become empathetic and grateful. Most people think that I'm crazy for having "questionable" girls live with me and be around my son, but most of them are great people when you get them out of their negative situations and work with them on behaviors.
I am also a bookkeeper for a small family business. I work with such wonderful people who have become like family.
I am a homebody. I love spending time with my kids and the rest of my family. I live in Eugene not far from where I grew up. Most of you will remember that I have a twin sister, Michelle. She has a 15 year old daughter named Alyssa, and a 13 year old son named Austin.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Register for Free to view all yearbooks!
Reunions
