By the time Cherese was leaving jr. high school and entering the 10th grade at Woodrow Wilson High School, she decided to become a vegetarian. She donated all her leather shoes, belts and purses. She became an active supporter of animal rights and gave up eating all meat. In 1991 during her junior year, Cherese was co/founder of the "Environmental Awareness Club" on campus. They arranged beach clean-ups, litter collection, recycling programs and enlisted the help of many to be aware and do their part in preserving the environment. The group still exists today. When Cherese learned about the program named PAWS/LA, she quickly got involved. PAWS/LA means Pets Are Wonderful Support / For People Living with HIV/AIDS / Los Angeles. She would take pets for veterinary care when their owner could not. Cherese loved most animals, especially dogs and cats, but she hated mosquitos because she was allergic to them and she was terrified of spiders, and could not kill one.

Of all our family pets, Dudley, our dog, was Cherese's favorite. After nine years he became ill. I'll never forget the day she held him in her arms and cried while the veterinarian doctor gave Dudley a shot to put him to sleep. She grieved for years. Later, we had other dogs and a stray cat that Cherese insisted we take in. Her name is Miss Kitty and we still have her roaming around.
Still dancing in high school and now the owner of about a dozen pairs of tap and jazz shoes, Cherese had performed in many recitals. We were always her biggest fans and especially enjoyed when she performed solo. I would often say, "I wish I could dance like you do", and she would take me by the hand and say, "Come on Mom, I'll teach you."

Cherese had been playing tennis for about a year and decided to try out for the school team, she made varsity. It was always exciting to watch her play in competition games, she would give 110% of herself, but at home she loved to play just for fun, especially with Todd and Larry. She studied drama at Wilson and we really enjoyed watching her performances, one in particular was "The Bad Seed", and Cherese played the mother of the wicked little girl.

During her years in high school, Cherese worked very diligently, dedicating herself to her school work to achieve high marks, which would prepare her for college and her future. Cherese had goals and high expectations. She was realistic and sensible, extremely cautious, always weighing the pros and cons of a situation before making a move.

Graduation day, June 18, 1992, Cherese graduated with honors. We were so proud of her. She was very happy and excited to start the next chapter of her life: college. She decided to attend Cypress College where Todd was already going. During this time, Todd and Cherese grew much closer, giving each other support and encouragement. Cherese began to develop strong feelings against racism and to explore various religions and their ethics and the effects they have on people.

At about age 18, Cherese was now 5' 5 1/2" tall and weighed 110 lbs. and she stayed at that weight and height . She looked great, but she would tell you, she was too fat! Though she was a natural blonde, she decided it would be fun to experiment with hair color, she became a redhead. She was striking, but we couldn't wait until she decided to be a blonde again. It wasn't long at all before she said, "I'll never do that again!"

Like most teenagers, Cherese had a variety of jobs. She baby-sat, was a hostess in a restaurant named "Spoons", worked in a deli, until she got food poisoning, and she worked in a lawyers office in Santa Monica. However, her most important job was working at the family business with her Dad. She did computer work while learning about the company.

After two years at Cypress College, Cherese was prepared to transfer. In 1994 she was accepted into UCLA, she was thrilled and so were we. It was time for her to move out of the only home she had ever lived in. It would be difficult, yet exciting. She found an apartment to share with three complete strangers, all female, all very different, but she didn't feel safe there. She wanted to try living on her own, though we were reluctant, Cherese found a one room studio apartment several blocks from campus, in Westwood. Todd had also recently moved out of our home to attend Cal State University Fullerton. Larry and I were about to experience, Empty Nest Syndrome! Actually, Cherese was such a homebody girl, we got to see her quite often. I didn't even mind when she brought home her laundry. I can remember many times telling Cherese, how happy she made us and how lucky we were to have such a wonderful daughter.

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