Dawn Hines:  

Life The first 18 years of my life was spent in 14 foster homes and orphanage (four years I lived at the Children's Farm Home, Corvallis, OR), I attended CHS 8th thru 11th (1954-1958) I went by the name of Frances Long. I left the Farm Home the summer of 1958 into a work home to attended South Salem High in 1959; because of my rebelouse ways (ran away from the work home), ended up in a home for wayward girls in Portland--. I didn't do well in school and was considered a loser on all fronts. The reality is, I was a very late bloomer--I had drive...but it was undeveloped; without role models or proper guidence, I just went aimlessly through life until I was about 25. Lack of direction put me fourth from the bottom of the graduating class...(South Salem High), I was at the same level at CHS. Once I was no longer a Ward of the State of Oregon, I began to realize there was a different world out there and thus began the journey of looking for my nich. I discovered the community college world(ten years later), used it, much like a thirsty sponge and loved every golden moment (I was no longer a loser but a Deans List member). This pushed me on to an accredited college, where I graduated in the top 10% of my class in 1972...Expand for more