Paula Bradley:
CLASS OF 1986
Anchor Bay High SchoolClass of 1986
New baltimore, MI
Western Michigan UniversityClass of 1990
Kalamazoo, MI
Paula's Story
Life
I would love to hear from high school friends! After college, I had a fascinating career in the jewelry business, most recently as a custom jewelry consultant and corporate buyer. I still work in the jewelry business now as a diamond consultant at Helzeberg Diamonds (Lakeside). My husband and I moved from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids, then to Port Huron, then to Chesterfield, and now settled in Marine City. We have a large old home that is currently undergoing a lot of cosmetic renovating--we are do-it-yourself-ers. My husband is manager of a popular family restaurant. We have two children--daughter born in 1997, son born in 2000, plus a cat and a dog. I am basically a full-time mom, even though I actually work one day per week. I also help lead my daughter's girl scout troop, and I sing in the New Baltimore Interfaith Choir. You can usually see our concerts (December and May) on the Anchor Bay Schools cable access channel.
College
I loved spending my college years in Kalamazoo at Western Michigan University. Didn't meet my first roommate until the day we moved in, and we hit it off--lived together on campus 3 years. I enjoyed an active life on campus, involved in Residence Hall Council, Pom Pon Squad, Bronco Buddies, and more. Kalamazoo has a great art and music culture; at one point I lived in a house with a roommate who's rock band rehearsed in our basement 2-3 times per week. We watched them play many venues all over West Michigan. I still keep in touch with several close friends from WMU, and we still have so much in common!
Workplace
After gr...Expand for more
aduating WMU, I managed a small jewelry department at a warehouse club (now SAM'S Club). From there, I went to work for a catalog chain (similar to Service Merchandise) with a huge jewelry department, where I was an assistant manager and diamond consultant. I was promoted from my store position to my dream job--Custom jewelry and restyling consultant, traveling with a small team to the jewelry departments of all 10 of our stores in west Michigan, from Battle Creek to Traverse City. We worked to remount customers' diamonds and gems, and designed new custom pieces with many exotic and unusual gems. Eventually I also served as the merchandise buyer for the custom and remount team, which allowed me to travel to Las Vegas and Tuscon to gem and jewelry shows. The company went out of business in 1997 (I was very sad), and I worked for another chain full-time until my first child was born. After that, I worked only seasonally for the jewelry store, but I also worked for a very talented custom photographer, where I was allowed to bring my baby to work at the studio. After we moved from Grand Rapids area to Port Huron, I took two years off work and had my second child. When my kids were 3 1/2 and 1 1/2, I went back to work part-time, and currently I am working just 1 day per week as a diamond consultant at a fine jewelry store.
I love my job as a full-time mom and wife, and we keep very busy with Scouts, dance, swimming, etc. I do plan to someday return to full-time work, but not in the near future. In the meantime, I make extra money making jewelry and crafts from home.
Register for Free to view all details!
Reunions
Photos