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By Mandy Haggerson

For the Clemmons Courier

When you grow up in the ’80s as the youngest child with two older brothers you learn real fast that being a kid is a lot of fun.

“There was nothing that I wasn’t encouraged or supported to try by my parents, and we never spent our free time in front of technology or consumed by it,” said Angie Reese.

Whether she tried a new sport in softball, soccer or swimming, or just played in the neighborhood with her friends in a good old-fashioned game of hide-and-seek, Reese loved being in a community that was also supportive and welcoming.

“We always felt safe that we could stay out and play until the streetlights came on at night,” said Reese.

As Reese grew older and had to decide where to attend college, she selected North Carolina State University.

“Initially I thought that getting a degree in communications would be a good career choice. I enjoyed the classes and thought it would be versatile. Ironically, I didn’t end up using it,” joked Reese. “I changed directions and went back to NCSU to get my master’s in special education and teaching. That seemed like a better fit for me because of how much I enjoyed working with kids who had autism. I had gotten that opportunity as an undergraduate, and it seemed so rewarding and fulfilling.”

While in graduate school, Reese met her future husband, Kelly.

“While we were dating, we moved to Charlotte, and I began working with an educational company where they created preschool curriculum. I had originally planned to do home behavioral therapy (behavioral analysis) after I finished my graduate program, but this seemed like a fun and unique opportunity because it allowed me to also travel the country. I went all over, and no two weeks were the same. I spent my time training people on how to use and implement the curriculum that we had developed. It was a great opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people that were invested in children,” said Reese.

When Reese found out that she and Kelly were expecting their first daughter, Emily, 17, she chose to stay home for a couple of years.

“I loved becoming a mom. It gave such perspective on the world, and it was precious time to get to spend it with her,” noted Reese. “I also realized that when I would go back to work, I would need to find something that would allow me some better flexibility, but I also wanted to help others, so I chose nursing. I went to Queens College to get my associate of science in nursing. it would be this decision that would take our family to Clemmons because I began working at Novant Health as a registered nurse. When we first tried to decide where to live, we had strongly considered Kernersville and Clemmons. With neither myself nor my husband being familiar with the area, I decided to post on social media a poll to see what friends recommended. Clemmons won with resounding votes of confidence. So we picked up and moved our family to Clemmons. It has been such a wonderful experience.”

The Reeses have expanded their family as well to include Abbey, 13, and Gigi, eight.

“Living in this area and raising our daughters has offered them such a quality of life. We were grateful for how welcoming everyone was to us. And the opportunities that have been presented to them have been incredible,” said Reese. “We love spending our summers at the neighborhood pool (Waterford) with friends that have become like family.”

Outside of having a supportive community, Reese was grateful that she could also continue evolving her professional career by going back to school at both Winston-Salem State University to earn her bachelor of science in nursing, and also her master of science in family practice nursing at Frontier Nursing University.

“I love that I get to have a work-life balance now because being a mom has been so important to me. I also love that I get to make house calls while working for an insurance company which gives me so much more flexibility with patients. That was important to me because our kids are fairly involved in school and sports right now, and I know this phase of life is fleeting,” said Reese.

With Reese’s oldest daughter graduating this spring and turning 18 it reminds her of really how quickly things can change.

“I was lucky that I always felt supported by my family and also Kelly. We want to instill the same thing in our children. Don’t be scared to go after what you want or change paths if you find something that you really enjoy and can make a difference in. Nothing is permanent. You can always readjust if you need to. In fact, two-and-a-half years ago we thought we’d want to try living in Charlotte again, so we actually moved back. We realized really quickly how much we missed Clemmons and the small town feel but all the conveniences that you need and came back 10 months later. We realized we were right where we needed to be. And now it’s wild that Kelly and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and Emily turning 18 and becoming an adult. We decided to celebrate these milestones by traveling to Europe this summer and exploring the world a bit. I know that after that trip we’ll cherish the memories and also enjoy coming back home,” said Reese.