Debbie Dimatteo:  

Born in Los Angeles, grew up in Pico Rivera. After graduating 9th grade, my mom and I made the 14 hour trip to Venezuela, where my dad thought it would be cool to work for a few 2 1/2 years and therefore ruin my life. Can you imagine being uprooted during those tender years when friends and hanging out were the ONLY things that were important? Worse than that was being thrown into an alien culture which was so difficult to try and blend with. After all these years I can say it truly was a great education and a beautiful place to visit, not live. Makes you glad to have been born in this country. On valentine's day of sophomore year, we moved to Denver, where my dad found a job in his field after the S.A. company closed. I attended East High, bored out of my mind as the classes were very easy compared to what the private schools overseas had us doing. Ok, one other reason it was a good thing. High school wasn't anything then compared to what stringent rules my children had to deal with thank goodness. I have great memories of a full semester senior year when I was fortunate enough to be selected to join Senior Seminar, all outside school learning in conjunction with Outward Bound. We camped, hiked, river rafted, made pottery, learned how migrant farmworkers lived in contrast to our big city life. We made adobe bricks...Expand for more