My career path as a floral designer commenced in 2008 when my mother began to purchase loose bundles of flowers to arrange for church. Throughout the years, we developed our own techniques and relationships with vendors. However, floral arranging remained a hobby, a weekly mother-daughter tradition, and a means of relaxation until the 2020 pandemic.

At the peak of the pandemic, I was furloughed by my company. My parents, small business owners, were mandated to close yet still pay commercial rent and fees. Although it was a financially and emotionally taxing period, I was already accustomed to facing adversity. As I sought a means to create financial stability for myself and my family, I reminisced on my past happy memories to fuel my unrelenting perseverance.

After a long year of soul-searching, I created Auburn Grounds LLC in December 2021 to help express love, wish happy birthdays, and commemorate anniversaries: to help curate what will someday become one’s happy memories in order to forge resiliency.