Danielle Bonella
English 82B
INTRODUCTION ESSAY
My name is Danielle Bonella and I am the oldest sibling of four. I was born in the sunny state of California in a city called San Mateo. I am a third generation Italian from my mother’s side. My family is very close and somewhat large, and we spend a lot of time together celebrating life. These things help define who I am and what is important in my life. The 29 years that I have spent in the world have taught me a lot, but these main points have been guidelines that have always influenced the decisions I have made.
After high school I married my high school sweetheart after he joined the ARMY around the time the horrific acts of 9/11. He was sent overseas, so we were married at the courthouse before his deployment. I spent the next 5 years of my life in North Carolina working retail and being a supportive ARMY wife. When the ARMY tour was over and we came back to California, I decided to pursue a career in Real Estate. During the next four months I studied my California Real Estate books to eventually take the State exam to be licensed. After two tries, I passed the exam and got to work looking to become a full time Real Estate Agent.
That was harder than to be expected, being the end of the burst of the Real Estate bubble. Money was tight and I had to take other part time work to help. I struggled to fulfill my career goals but it wasn’t panning out the way I wanted. My ex-husband was abusing alcohol and refusing any help, and we soon split and divorced.
I was back at home and had a very good support system there. My mother and I decided to go into business together and started a coffee catering business. We named it Dantina Coffee Catering (the combination of Danielle, Kristi, and Gina which are mine and my sister’s names). With the economy as bad as it has been you could say that the business has been a struggle to keep afloat for the past 4 years. We still have the business today, but it’s something we do more out of fun here and there instead of a steady income.
After 2 years of Dantina and various part time jobs, I still was in search of fulfillment. I fell in love with a man I have known for many years and we’ve been working on a long term relationship. Personally I was succeeding, but I still felt like I needed to accomplish more. I saw an article on Ultrasound Technician careers and looked into it. I started school at Lincoln University in late 2009 and for the past two and half years I have been working on getting my Associates Degree of Science in Diagnostic Imaging. Although I have not yet graduated, I already feel like I have succeeded. I have challenged myself to see what I am made of and how hard I can be pushed. I hope to find a job in the Ultrasound field after graduating this fall.
My family and friends have been a great support system throughout my life. I hope to soon add to my family and continue to succeed and fulfill my dreams in every aspect. I know that even though sometimes things don’t seem to going the way you pictured, you always have choices and the ability to change something about your life that you may not like. That may be the most valuable lesson I have learned to date. No matter what happens in life you have the power to better yourself in any way possible.
