Dawn was born on June 10th 1974. The younger of two children, at an early age Dawn had to learn how to take care of herself and her older brother. Dawn’s mother struggled with a long term dependency with drugs and alcohol abuse. Dawn was born premature at 1lb and 15oz and diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, due to usage of drug and alcohol abuse during her mother’s pregnancy. At the young age of 12 Dawn’s family lost their home they were evicted and the house was boarded up. With nowhere to go Dawn, her brother and mother were forced to live on the porch of the boarded up house. One of the neighbors noticed the family spending their days on the porch and at night the family would go in the house through a loose board that was supposed to keep them out. A neighbor called Dawn’s grandmother who lived in San Jose California and told her what had been going on with her grandchildren and without hesitation her grandmother sent for Dawn and her brother. Dawn lived in San Jose for three years.

    Dawn’s mother wanted her back in Philadelphia and convinced the family she was free from drugs. When Dawn returned, she found out that nothing had changed; drugs and alcohol were still a part of her mom’s life. Dawn was out of school for about 3 months going from place to place never knowing for sure where she would sleep or where her next meal would come from. She figured that if she went to school she could eat and have a place to go every day. Her mom didn’t feel the need that school was necessary and was in no condition to enroll her at school. Dawn knowing that she should be in school started to think how she could be registered in school. Dawn being ingenious paid a stranger to pretend to be her mother, and enroll her in school. She excelled in school and since she really didn’t have a home to go to she spent a lot of time at the free library. A guidance counselor at the school noticed that she was troubled and had a deep secret she convinced Dawn to confide in her and when she found out, she immediately began to help Dawn find housing. Dawn rented her first apartment at 16 years old. She was excited she had a place of her own even though she had no furniture and had never cooked a meal. Those were minuet and not important, what was, is that she finally had a sense of stability. She now had somewhere to go, no longer trying to figure out her next move. During her junior and senior year at high school she was the Student Body President. Dawn graduated 2nd in her graduating class with a 3.0 GPA and was elected to be the class valedictorian at Widener Memorial High School. After graduation, Dawn enrolled in the community college of Philadelphia then transferred to Temple University in Philadelphia where she majored in Journalism with a minor in Sociology.

    Dawn is the proud mother of 3 children 2 sons and 1 daughter. She is committed to her children and has made sure her children will never experience life the way she did in her youth. In 2007 she started working at the West Oak Lane Photo License Center in Philadelphia. Where she proved to be an extraordinary employee and a leader. She is always willing to help her coworkers. She has a way of making new employees feel comfortable, and without reliable transportation Dawn never hesitated to help out in the Harleysville Photo Center, which she had to travel over an hour each way and even had to walk 3 miles to the center when the Para transit driver was not able to take her the entire way to the Photo Center. Her leadership ability, total commitment and dedication to her job were noticed by her then supervisor, Jennifer Holtzworth. Jennifer had Dawn to assist her in various administrative duties in the office. Dawn has never let her physical disability be a stumbling block instead it has propelled her to strive for excellence. Dawn takes pride in everything she does and if she thinks she has made an error she is disturbed. She strives for perfection. Dawn has truly exhibited outstanding achievement and exceptional character in living and coping with her disability.