When I was a child, I was in a wheelchair and I found that I required attention that my siblings did not need. Since I knew my special needs were temporary, I was determined to move and help others after healing from my injuries. I earned my second-degree black belt in karate and taught self-defense to adults with special needs. While I was in college, I worked at Starbucks and I ran one of the busiest stores in Chicago with a team of 40 before I was 25. When my employees came to me and asked, “Should I be investing in my 401k?” and “What’s an ESPP plan?” I decided to educate myself and took one class on finance and fell in love with it. After almost ten years at Starbucks, I made a career change and I earned my CFP®, CPWA® and MBA, and now I teach college finance. I get excited knowing how this information is like self-defense for my clients’ financial well-being.