Kathleen White, Neighbor

During my two years at the College of San Mateo in the 1970s, I danced. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a dancing career. For fourteen years I was a professional dancer-actress and worked in Los Angeles and New York, which included the Broadway stage.  In the 1980's my career segued into print and commercial television work. I continued commercial work in the bay area. In early 1990, I was in a cognitive fog, quite literally.  Three months prior, on a weekend trip with friends to the beautiful hills of Napa in California, I was exposed to Viral Meningo-Encephalitis; an unexpected and debilitating illness.  It started with a horrendous headache and a troublesome sore throat.  In early November, I slipped into an eleven-day coma.  A three months stay in the hospital confirmed that I was indeed sick.  As a result of the illness, I have speech differnce. After months of physical and speech therapy, one of my recovery efforts was to return to school. I went to San Jose State University as a Theatre Arts (dance) major.  The combination of my professional experience and the historical and theoretical lessons gained from my studies at SJSU provided an opportunity for me to imagine a productive future for myself. Through this experience, I rediscovered hope; I was beginning to experience a sense of confidence for the first time since I became ill. I knew that if I continued in school I could create a self-sufficient and successful future.  After graduation, I was accepted in the Master of Arts program at SJSU. In August 1999, I received a Master of Arts. Also, I received a Bachelor of Arts in Law Studies and a paralegal certificate in 2004 at Saint Mary College. My later years in school while providing me with a superb education, were somewhat like rehab, in terms of relearning the basics of writing, the discipline of re-gaining critical thinking and I also regained my self-confidence. Moreover, my life experiences, plus the knowledge and skills gained from college have served to augment the woman I was.