A True Pennsylvanian.
I am a true Pennsylvanian. My family can be traced to some of the earliest settlers in Tower City, PA. My father, Jim Forsstrom, grew up in Bensalem, serving his community as a Volunteer Fire Fighter for over 30 years between Trevose Fire Company and Warwick Township Volunteer Fire Company. My mom, Debra, works in the healthcare insurance sector.
I grew up in Jamison, PA, and attended High School at Central Bucks High School West. I played lacrosse while taking honors classes and attending Fire Science classes at the Bucks County Community College. I graduated in 2009 from CB West.
In addition to my academic achievements, I have dedicated myself to volunteering within my community. While obtaining several certifications, including Vehicle Rescue, Firefighter 1, and EMT-Basic, I volunteered at Warwick Township Volunteer Fire Company, where I was awarded Junior Fire Fighter of the year.
I attended Millersville University and majored in Meteorology with a minor in Emergency Management and Environmental Hazards. At the same time, I volunteered as a live-in Firefighter for Southern Manheim Township Fire Company.
While at Millersville University, I discovered a different passion, nursing. I withdrew from Millersville University and enrolled at Dixon School of Nursing. I graduated from Dixon in 2015 and became a Registered Nurse. Shortly after graduating from Dixon, I married my now-husband TJ in 2013, and we have raised three amazing children Antonio (13), Sophia (8), and Liam (3).
After college, I took on my first nursing job at the Bucks County Correctional Facility as a Corrections Nurse. After some time, I missed emergency medicine, having worked for several years as an EMT. I took a nursing job at Sierra Vista Hospital in Truth or Consequences, NM. Sierra Vista is a critical access hospital in rural New Mexico. I obtained a wealth of knowledge working in the Emergency Department at Sierra Vista. But I missed home, so in 2017 we moved back to PA and into the Central Bucks School District. I was hired at Lehigh Valley Hospital in the Emergency Department and have been there since 2017.
I knew that it was time to get involved politically when Pennsylvanians were suffering from high taxes; mental health systems in need of serious reform; and Inflation.