Occupation: I’m the personal assistant for an international businessperson. He travels abroad frequently, so I handle the logistical affairs.

Family: My husband Dan and I have one daughter, Paige. She is 14 years old, and a freshman at Newtown High School.

Pets: I have three cats: Six Killer has six toes on each paw. She used to accidentally kill ants with her big paws when she was “playing” with them. She’s 16 years old. Sirius Black is a completely black cat, and he’s 5 years old. Our third was adopted from The Animal Center. She’s a dark tortoiseshell named Sasha Fierce and is just a year old.

How long have you been in Newtown? We’ve been here for about five years. We moved here from Fairfield. When my husband and I were teenagers and dating, we used to drive up to Newtown for the $2 movies. I never dreamed we would actually live here. I thought it would be wonderful to live here, though, and raise a family.

What do you like to do in your free time? I do a lot of volunteering with the Girl Scouts. I’m an advocate for the Girl Scouts and I lead a senior troop of Girl Scouts. They do a lot of community service and they are working on their Silver Awards, so that keeps us busy. I’m on the Sunshine Committee with the Girl Scouts and I do recognition for all of the Girl Scout leaders. I’m on the Girl Scout Gala Committee, as well. I also sit on the dog park committee in town. I believe in the purpose, even though I have no dogs myself. I’m an outdoor girl, so I white water raft, hike, and kayak when I can. I like to read, too.

What have you read lately? Two books I read recently that were very powerful for me are The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Nights In Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. I saw the movie of Nights In Rodanthe, too, and the ability of the director to bring out that emotion is amazing. It’s a tearjerker.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? We go to Puerto Rico a lot, where I have family, and the tropics are so nice. But my favorite place is New England. I love taking a weekend and going with my family to explore places in New England. It’s beautiful, everywhere we go.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The people. Growing up in Bridgeport, I don’t think I ever said two words to our neighbors. When we moved here, I knew everyone in town, it seemed, within two weeks and had met all of our neighbors. It is nicer in Newtown. It is a relaxed place and has a rural feel. I love the way the seasons change here in town. You to outside and you just feel different.

If you could travel to the past or future, which would you pick? I wouldn’t. I stay in the present. I don’t want to know what’s going to happen, and I have no regrets about the past, so I don’t want to go back. I like to be here and now. Life is a process that happens — don’t look back. And people get so caught up in the future that they don’t see what is around them now.

Do you have a personal philosophy? There’s no point in trying to conform: stay true to yourself.

What makes you happiest? Things like this past weekend when my troop was around a campfire, and seeing them all smiling. You see the results of working together for a goal we all had, and the journey that we had to reach that goal was amazing. That makes me feel great.