Carmen Berumen:  

Life AFTER I GRADUATED FROM BELMONT IN 1984 I DECIDED TO TAKE A BREAK FROM SCHOOL FOR A YEAR & WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT WORKS. I WENT BACK EVENTUALLY BUT NEVER FINISHED. I WORKED AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS AS A TEACHER'S AIDE. I ENJOYED TEACHING BUT GOT FED UP WITH ALL THE POLITICS INVOLVED IN TEACHING AND ALTHOUGH I WAS GOING TO SCHOOL TO BECOME A TEACHER I DECIDED THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO BE AN OVER PAID BABYSITTER SO I CHANGED JOBS TO THE BUSINESS/ACCOUNTING FIELD. I TOOK A FEW BUSINEES ADMIN CLASSES AT WEST L.A. COLLEGE AND AT TRADE TECH. I GOT A JOB IN 1989 AT A FURNITURE MANUFACTURER WORKING IN THE ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT. THAT'S WHERE I DISCOVERED I ACTUALLY LOVE NUMBERS! MR. MILLER & MRS. KORNBLUM WOULD DROP DEAD IF THEY KNEW THIS! I HAVE BEEN WORKING THERE EVER SINCE AND HAVE WORKED MY WAY UP TO BOOKKEEPER/ACCOUNTING OFFICE MANAGER/CONTROLLER ASSITANT. ALTHOUGH THINGS DIDN'T TURN OUT AS I HAD PLANNED THEM, I MUST ADMIT I AM VERY HAPPY WITH MY LIFE. I COULD USE A FEW MILLION DOLLARS, BUT THEN AGAIN, WE ALL COULD. MY LIFE TOOK A 360 TURN IN MARCH OF 2006. I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH OVARIAN CANCER. 2006 WAS ONE OF THE WORSTE AND ONE OF THE BEST YEARS IN MY LIFE. IT WAS THE WORSTE BECAUSE WHEN I HEAR THE WORD "CANCER" THE FIRST T...Expand for more