Jr. High and high school

In 1986 at age 12, Cherese entered Hill Jr. High School. She started to notice boys, and they noticed her, too! She was getting tall, and quickly passed me up! Her shoulder length hair was silky and golden blonde and even though she was so beautiful, she would tell you she was not pretty at all! She joined the track team, loved to swim, skate and bike, while still dancing and performing.

Then Todd took an interest in cycling. He enjoyed mountain biking and the competition of racing. When he decided to enter a triathlon, Cherese decided she would too. It was a cold rainy day, but they both completed the cycling, swimming and running events and Cherese even won for her age group! That year she participated in several running competitions.

  It was also the year she met Sophia and Lisa, and they soon became best friends. Lisa had also participated in the above mentioned triathlon and later that Halloween night the girls dressed up and went out trick or treating! After junior high school, Lisa moved to Sacramento, and they continued to keep in contact with visits, phone calls and letters all the way through college.

After graduating from Hill Jr. High School, Sophia went to Poly High School and Cherese went to Wilson High School, both in Long Beach, but that did not stop them from seeing each other or talking on the phone, all the time.

By the time Cherese was leaving Jr. High School and entering the 10th grade at 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. I believe the group still exists today.

When Cherese learned about a 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 animals, especially dogs and cats, but she hated mosquitos because she was allergic to them and she was terrified of spiders, but still, could not hurt one.

We had several dogs through the years, but, Cherese's favorite was Dudley, a stray german shepherd/collie mix our family rescued as a puppy. A special bond developed between them. When Dudley was 9 years old he became ill and had to be put down... I'll never forget that day as Cherese held him in her arms and cried while the veterinarian gave Dudley a shot and we had to say our goodbye.

Years later she fell head over heels with another dog named Misty, a white labrador retriever. And she also took in a stray cat we called Miss Kitty!

  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. She studied drama at Wilson and we really enjoyed watching her performances. One in particular was "The Bad Seed", where Cherese played the mother of the wicked little girl. 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, she also loved to play just for fun, especially with Todd and Larry.

  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 lawyer's office in Santa Monica. However, her most important job was working with her dad on the family construction business.

  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.

  High School 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 wanted to explore various religions, their ethics and the effects they have on people.