Once a Wildcat, Always a Wildcat: Ms. Brophy

Here at Fruita 8/9, we have many staff members that work together and with students in order to create a nurturing and safe learning community for all. From administration to the paraprofessionals, each position lends a hand in creating this community.This week, I decided to give spotlight to  Ms. Danika Brophy, one of the few paraprofessionals at Fruita 8/9. She works in the Special Education department, meaning that she helps assist the special needs kids at our school. She tells our sources that she enjoys this job although, some days it can be exhausting and stressful.

Ms. Brophy was born in 1983 in Libertyville, Illinois. She was adopted when she was 18 months old, which caused her to move to Cold Creek Canyon, Colorado. She lived in Cold Creek Canyon until sixth grade, in which she moved to Fruita and began attending Fruita Middle School. If Ms. Brophy could describe herself as a child, she said she would simply use the words “nature kiddo.” She enjoyed many different outdoor activities including bike riding, hiking, sports, including volleyball, and she even enjoyed dissecting small animals. Ms. Brophy grew up knowing the perfect ways to nurture and raise children partly because she grew having 8 siblings, 4 are blood-related and the other 4 are adopted, and her parents created a foster home for other children who needed it. Ms. Brophy believes that the way she was raised greatly influenced her career.

In 2001, Ms. Brophy graduated from Fruita Monument High halfway through her senior year, but she didn’t actually walk in cap and gown until May, when the rest of her class walked. During that time, she took a full time job in City Market’s deli. After that, she began to construct her own in-home daycare, which funded most of her income. On the side, Ms. Brophy developed many different crafting companies including cardmaking, different baby gifts, and an assortment of other crafted items, enjoying every minute of doing it.

In 2014, Ms. Brophy shut down her daycare in order to begin a job in School District 51. She began searching for jobs in schools all around the valley, particularly in Fruita. She applied for jobs at Shelledy Elementary, Rimrock Elementary, and Fruita 8/9. She eventually grabbed a job at Fruita 8/9 as a Special Education paraprofessional. She wholeheartedly applied for this job because she wanted to help out special needs students in a positive way and make a positive impact on their lives.

Today, Ms. Brophy is a wonderful mother to three beautiful girls. And how do I know this? Well, Ms. Brophy is my mother. I decided to interview her because, in a way, I wanted to share my history, while showing her history. My mom has come from being a child just adopted from the foster system to becoming a person who impacts the lives of her students daily. And we all know now, once a wildcat, always a wildcat!

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