Emily spent her childhood in a small farming community north of St. Cloud, along with her seven brothers and sisters. As the oldest daughter in her family, Emily spent much of her youth caring for and nurturing her younger siblings. After graduating from high school, Emily attended St. Cloud Technical College, studying in the General Secretarial Program. Emily has spent over 15 years working as a secretary and reporting specialist in a variety of settings. Emily has a diverse background with children: she has not only raised three of her own children, cared for children at her church nursery, but also ran an in-home child care program for 8 years. While running her in-home child care program Emily earned esteemed licensure of the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). Emily was bitten by the travel bug as an adult, and has loved traveling and learning about diverse cultures around the world ever since. Emily’s first trip was a trip to Mexico, followed by a cruise she won to Spain, Italy and France. Emily later traveled to Canada, Belize, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.