Courage and a Ready Mind

NAME: Diana Harrington-Winters
AGE: 24
GENDER: Female
FAMILY: Mother, father, and one younger brother
PETS: Lives with two cats, one 12 years old and the other just over 1
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single, does not want to be tied down. Ever.
LOCATION: Portland, OR
OCCUPATION: Research assistant (hoping to go on to medical school)



PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: Diana is a very petite 4’ 10”, and about 95 lbs. While she couldn’t be mistaken for a boy she definitely has a leaner, straight-up-and-down figure. This makes finding clothing a bit difficult, as she wears a size 00 to 2 (depending on the brand) and most things are still too long. She has straight medium-to-dark brown hair that is just touching her shoulders, a length she finds a bit annoying but is part of growing it out. Her eyes are a very dark brown and often described as ‘intense’.



PERSONALITY: Left to herself, Diana is a definite introvert. There are people she very much enjoys spending time with but those not part of her inner circle she often finds a bit exhausting to be around for long. She is intelligent, determined, and generally honest. Her moral standards regarding her own conduct are high – in fact, perfectionistic – but all she asks of others is that they treat people with basic respect. This acceptance is at the heart of the Unitarian Universalist faith she tries to follow. She is a high energy person, known to pace and find it impossible to nap. She has many interests which she pursues in her spare time, but doesn’t always stick with them long enough to really do well at them.



HISTORY: Diana was born to a government employee and a teacher in 1982. A major heart defect shadowed her first year of life, but she walked a week after it was repaired and was reading by the age of four. She was absolutely fearless. When she was three her little brother was born. Those early years were virtually nomadic – 10 homes in 8 years as her parents tried to find a place they would feel comfortable raising their family.

They finally settled in the Pacific Northwest. The town was small but indeed a good place to grow up. She went through the end of elementary school, middle school, and high school there and considers it her true hometown. Her parents divorced when she was 13, but the family remains close and she doesn’t consider it ‘broken’, just rearranged. At age 16 she earned her GED, then spent a year attending a community college before moving on to a traditional university.

She was a biology major with a psychology minor, and graduated in 2003. Immediately following that she had two more heart surgeries. After taking time to recuperate she entered the job market. A series of customer service jobs in town led nowhere, so she eventually decided to move out and go to Portland, OR where there was more of a market for her skills. She soon obtained employment in a research institution, and plans to remain there until she moves on to medical school.