My personal history and timeline

Ashleigh Thoits

Personal Timeline of Ashleigh Thoits

2007

2009

Today

2005

Got AA degree

Moved out on my own

cosmetology license

Graduated High School

Graduated Elementary

Birth

1998

1987

2012
2013

Sister is
born &
parents
get
divorced
1991

Moved in
with my
grandma

Met my
boyfriend,
Will

2004

2007

Mom gets
diagnosed
with
terminal
cancer
2008

Mom
passes
away
July
2012

Autobiography
I was born in Torrance, California on January 22nd, 1987. My parents are Wayne Thoits and Susan Motta. When I was five
years old my sister, Taylor was born. My mother worked full-time so my dad stayed home to watch us. The only problem was that
he didnt really pay attention to us and stayed in his room most of the time so I had to take care of my baby sister and myself. I
remember having to feed her all the time and change her diapers. I would make both of us food and would even ride my bike or
take my wagon to the grocery store to shop for food alone. I wasnt allowed to use the stove so I would cook most things in the
microwave like eggs in a cup. A little while after that, my dad left us and my parents got a divorce.
My mother had a hard time taking care of us both so my grandma stepped in and helped take care of us. For a while, we all
lived at my grandmas house because my mom couldnt support us all financially. My grandma was and is like another mother to
me. When I was a child I was always interested in playing sports. I loved playing softball and soccer. My mom was usually the
coach of the teams and my sister was the teams mascot. I always had a lot of fun playing sports as most children do. I was also in
fun clubs during the summer and also took karate as a child.
When I was in sixth grade my mother, her new boyfriend, my sister, and I all moved to a place called Clearlake Oaks up
north near Sacramento. We moved into a big house up on the mountains got to have a lot of animals. It was a big change, but I
liked it. We lived there for a few years and then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. I did not like it so much there. I was a freshman in a
new big school and I didnt know anyone. It was hard for me to make friends at first and I hated school, until I met my friend
Edward. He hated school right a long with me and so we would ditch school and go have our own fun adventures. I know its bad,
but some of my most fun memories are from our adventures. We would hang out all day in bookstores reading books and listening
to music, go into casinos and go bowling or play in the arcades, play at parks, go to the movies and just explore different areas. We
did this until our sophomore year, but still managed to turn in all our work and pass our classes somehow.
One day when my mother went to pick me up from school early she found out that I had been writing all these sick notes
and missing tons of classes. She was really angry so she sent me to live with my grandma back in El Segundo, CA. When I got
back I was known as the new girl again, but some people still remembered me. I didnt ditch school anymore and got good grades
and graduated high school. After high school I decided to go to beauty school since I was good at doing hair and it didnt take much
schooling. I graduated beauty school and got my cosmetology license and started working in salons. After a few years, I realized I
didnt like it that much and didnt want to do this for the rest of my life.
As I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do I got a job at FedEx where I met my current boyfriend, Will Deleon. I
decided I wanted to go to school to be a teacher because I have always been good with children. I actually wanted to be a teacher
since I was in elementary school, but gave up on that because I myself hated school so much. My boyfriend inspired me and
motivated me to go back to school. I decided to go to El Camino Community College because it was close to home.
A little while after that my mom was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. The doctors only gave her a year to live. While I
was going to school I had to help take care of her. She was very strong and ended up living four years after her diagnosis. She
passed away on July 28, 2012 at the age of 54. Its been a very emotional and depressing struggle. Its still hard to believe that
shes gone, but I know she is in a better place now and not suffering. She always encouraged me to do whatever I want and
believed in me. She is the one who taught me how to do hair and she also taught me how to be artistic by helping me with school
art projects. I think she is another reason I wanted to become a teacher because she always said I was creative and good with
helping people. Now I work as a freelance makeup artist while I go to school at Cal State Dominguez Hills. I am majoring in Liberal
Studies and working towards being an elementary school teacher.

How I got where I am

today..
When I was a child my mom always helped me with school art projects and taught me how to
draw, paint, and do other arts and crafts activities. She would come to my classes and help everyone
during art activities and would also paint on the windows or make decorations for the class. I looked up
to her and my teachers when I was a child and wanted to become a teacher when I grew up.
After high school I didnt really like going to school that much so I gave up on my childhood
dream to become a teacher. Instead, I decided to go to beauty school because it only took about nine
months. My mother also taught me how to cut hair because she was a cosmetologist so at a young
age I started cutting hair. Surprisingly, a lot of my friends and my mothers friends let me cut and do
their hair. I got really good at it and thought it was fun so I thought beauty school was the best way to
go. While I was in beauty school I did not enjoy doing peoples hair as I thought I would. Most of the
people that came in were old ladies who did not wash their hair and instead of cutting or styling hair I
was forced to do a lot of perms and roller settings. I missed a lot of days so it took me longer to
graduate, but I did. Shortly after I earned my cosmetology license and started working in a salon as a
hair assistant.
I was an assistant for a few months and I realized I didnt really enjoy doing that either. I didnt
like the atmosphere and the people I worked with. I found a few more jobs in salons, but it just wasnt
for me. I didnt want to do this for the rest of my life and knew it wouldnt make me happy. After I
stopped working at the last salon I got a job offer from FedEx and decided to take it while I figured out
what I was going to do for the rest of my life. I worked there for a year and a half and met my current
boyfriend there. He encouraged me to go back to school because he knew I wasnt happy.
I decided to go to college to become a teacher. At first, I wanted to be a preschool teacher
because I thought it would take less schooling. My school counselor told me that if I want to become a
teacher I should just go all the way to become an elementary school teacher because it will pay off
more in the end. It took me two and a half years to get my AA from El Camino College and then I
transferred to Cal State Dominguez Hills and am currently working to get bachelors degree and
teaching credential. While I go to school I work as a freelance makeup artist and mostly do makeup on
fashion models for photo shoots. I found that I love doing makeup a lot more than hair and it is a good
side job to have, even when I become a teacher.

Decisions that impacted my

personal development..
When I was a child I always wanted to be in some kind of sports or program to keep me busy. I
loved playing softball and soccer and being part of a team. It helped me develop communication skills
and taught me how to be a good team player. I believe this was very important because my home life
wasnt very stable so this is what allowed me to feel like a normal kid.
Growing up I had a lot of friends. Some of them were real friends and some ended up not
being my true friends. After high school I decided to get these negative people out of my life and only
be around people I could trust and rely on. I learned that it is not worth being around people that are
going to bring you down. My grandma always told me, You are who your friends are and that stuck
with me. Today, I still live by my rule to only keep trustworthy and good people in my life.
By making the decision to go to beauty school and get my cosmetology license it helped me
develop my talent and always have a career to fall back on. Even though I dont do hair in a salon
anymore, I still use my knowledge of beauty as a makeup artist. The decision to become a makeup
artist part time really paid off and helps me while I go to school full time. It is very fun and I get to meet
new people all the time. It is a great outlet to help me express myself and creativity.
Before I met my current boyfriend of five years now, I was with a guy who wasnt good for me.
I made the decision to break up with him and start a new healthy relationship with my current
boyfriend and I think that is the best decision I have ever made. My boyfriend is the most important
person in my life and he inspires me and motivates me everyday. He is the best person I have ever
met and I dont know where I would be without him. He encouraged me to go back to school to follow
my dreams and become a teacher. If he didnt do that I probably would have taken a lot more time to
go back to school or I might have not even gone back at all.
Going back to school is another decision that dramatically impacted my personal development.
It helped me gather more knowledge and allowed me to meet new people. When I am finished I am
going to have a successful career that I am proud of and worked hard for. I know it is going to make
me happy because I love being around children and helping them learn. I will be able to have a
steady job that I can depend on, which will benefit my future family.

Artifact Chart..
Artifact #

Item Type

Approximate Description Location

Date

Photo

1987

Me as a
baby

Photo

1991

Me feeding El Segundo,
my little
CA
sister at age
5

Photo

2005

My high
school
diploma

El Segundo,
CA

El Segundo,
CA

Continued Artifact Chart

Artifact #

Item Type

Date

Description

Location

photo

2003

My first
haircutting
scissors

Las Vegas,
NV

photo

2008

Me and my
boyfriend

Redondo
Beach, CA

photo

2009

My first
apartment
key

El Segundo,
CA

photo

1990

My mom
holding me
when I was 3

Torrance, CA

photo

1963

My moms
handprint
when she
was 5

El
Segundo,CA

Artifact 1 & 2

Artifact 3 & 4

Artifact 5 & 6

Artifact 7 & 8