Role model teaches important life lesson
by Sherri Jones, reporter

    Have you ever thought about whom you admire in life—not because of their income, their car, their house or their spouse?

    My role model is my sister, Debi.

    Debi was born with a talent for art, but she did not want to stay in Texas or anywhere else nearby.

    She planned to go as far as a good scholarship would take her. She applied to the Art Institute of Chicago, Parsons in Greenwich Village and Pratt School of Art/Design in New York City. All three offered her a hefty scholarship, but Pratt awarded her the biggest scholarship they have ever given any incoming student, so she took the offer.

    Debi worked on campus in the school library and then in the summer time planted flowers, peeled paint, repainted and cleaned dorms. At home, she never cleaned

her room nor thought about stepping outside to plant flowers.
    During college she interned with 7th on Sixth, working behind the scenes of New York’s seasonal fashion shows from Donna Karen to Oscar de la Renta doing anything from show set up to dressing models. From there, Debi went to her dream job as a design assistant with Vera Wang.

    She participated in the making of wedding dresses for Melissa Rivers and Posh Spice (Victoria Adams) as well as Oscar gowns for Sharon Stone, Holly Hunter, Kate Capshaw, Helen Hunt, and Uma Thurman. After Vera Wang, Debi did freelance design work at Nannette LePore, the designer of very girlie and fun clothes with a hefty price tag.

    Debi wanted back into bridal, so she took an opportunity of a lifetime to design gowns for Amsale, her current employer. So far, she has dressed Halle Berry, Kim Basinger, Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride, Heather Graham in Say It Isn’t So and Lucy Liu.

    As a child, Debi’s interest in fashion sparked with Princess Diana’s wedding; from then on she was fascinated with Brides magazine. When Debi was seven, our grandmother made her a wedding dress and veil to play dress-up in, and my mom made her a wedding cake for her birthday.

    While in school, she received many recognitions, including a $1500 award from Nintendo for designing a boys clothing line and for designing evening wear for a famous New York designer.

    As a child, my interests in pediatrics was sparked at an early age. In high school, however, my interests took a turn. I decided to major in psychology and specialize in working with victims of trauma and eating disorders.

    I have faced many setbacks in life. At times many people didn’t think I would live to see my college years. In fact, I didn’t see college in my future either. However, I have proved all of us wrong and will graduate in May and head off to UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

    Debi has taught me a valuable lesson in life: never give up on your dreams. Anything is in reach if you work for it.