Bonnie Vause

Bonnie Vause was born in Smithfield, North Carolina. She resides with her husband of thirty-seven years near Raleigh, NC.  Her most valued aspect of life is spending quality time with her family. Bonnie and her husband have two adult daughters and three charming granddaughters. At home, she is busy reading, researching, writing, and enjoys sewing. The North Carolina Mountains are dear to her heart and she and her family enjoy visiting Brevard, NC.

 

Her love of reading started as a young child in elementary school, visiting the library. Her writing skills blossomed when her grandmother gave her a diary at the age of nine. She used the gift as a way to escape reality, to construct short stories and record her inner thoughts. Bonnie mastered disadvantages in her childhood through reading and writing. Later in her adult life, the written words of her diary stayed close to her heart and eventually danced with freedom as the characters came alive on the paper of her debut novel.

 

Bonnie considers herself fortunate for the opportunities to grow up in a "Mill Village" and experience a way of life; a culture within a culture where some outsiders from across the tracks, looked down upon the children and residents of the village. At a young age, Bonnie was able to distinguish the difference between poverty and wealth. She was determined to beat the odds of poverty. She recognized hard work and persistence would enable her to have a different life. Bonnie fought extremely hard to make a difference in not only her own life but also in the lives of others. Because she excelled in academics, she was often assigned to assist struggling readers.

 

Dr. Bonnie Vause remembers standing in line at the Salvation Army to receive clothes as a young child;  hiding her face due to the shame of being poor. Today, she is extremely proud that she mastered the art of finding name brand designer clothes at such a young age. One of her favorite things to do is bargain shop for deals; finding designer clothes "with tags" at upscale consignment shops. She truly has an eye for details and designs (clothing and furniture). Bonnie has no doubt living in poverty made her the rightful owner of appreciation for the small things in life; giving her an insight for design & details in clothing, fabrics, and also a keen eye for designer furniture. Dr. Bonnie Vause is compassionate; assisting others in need which is one of her strongest attributes as an adovcate.

 

Dr. Bonnie Vause is a graduate of Barton College. She earned her Master in Special Education (K-12) from East Carolina University and achieved her doctorate in Special Education, Leadership in 2012 from Walden University. She has been a teacher for over twenty years and finds unlimited satisfaction in working with special needs students and their families.

 

Dr. Bonnie Vause has served on numerous local, state, national committees/boards to represent the students and educators of North Carolina. A strong advocate for Equality, the Rights of Women. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Public School Children of North Carolina and  NC Governor's Teachers Advisory Committee.