I was born into a family of immigrants who followed their own dream to the United States to build a business from scratch. When I was a little girl, my mom and I lived with her parents after her divorce. That cozy house was the backdrop for the first years of my life, a time filled with fond memories and my very first look at what it actually means to be an entrepreneur. Of course, at that age, I had no idea what that word meant. But I knew exactly what hard work looked like.
My grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Switzerland, and my mom was the first of their children born in this country. They arrived with no English, no safety net, and no concrete plan other than a shared dream: they wanted to own a bakery. They started in Illinois, working their way through commercial kitchens just to learn how the industry operated in America and to pick up the language. They kept their heads down, worked tirelessly, and saved every penny they could. Eventually, the mountains called them further west, and their determination brought them all the way to Utah, where they finally opened their own bakery in American Fork.
As a kid, that bakery was my daycare. My “station” in the front of the house was a seat right next to the cash register. My Mimi ran the front, and she was an absolute master at it. Her attention to detail and her uncanny ability to remember every single customer’s name and order amazed me even then. She always had a warm smile and a treat ready for anyone who walked through the door. From her, I learned that kindness and genuine customer service are non-negotiable.
In the back of the house, my seat was right at my grandpa’s workbench. I watched him craft the most amazing breads, pastries, and cookies, bringing authentic European flavors to our small town. He left the house at 3:00 AM every single day, with only Sunday off, working twelve-hour shifts to create everything from scratch. I would sit on my stool, mimicking his movements with my own little set of tools, and he’d always tell me how talented I was. My little handmade cookies always “sold” out of the bakery case, it wasn’t until I grew up that I realized my family was quietly buying them all themselves. From him, I learned the value of a relentless work ethic and that true quality is always worth the time it takes to make it perfect.
The bakery was a total family effort. My mom worked there too, managing the bookkeeping and handling the intricate cake decorating. She was an artist with a pastry bag, no two cakes were ever the same. She also handled the financials like a savant. I used to sit with her and learn how to count as she balanced the daily cash and tracked the orders. From her, I learned the delicate balance of analytical thinking and raw creativity.
Every single one of those early lessons paved the way for my future. They gave me the grit and the courage to take a massive risk and build Paraben.
Digital forensics is a tough, relentless field. Technology moves at a breakneck pace, and we are constantly racing to stay ahead of the complex threats we investigate. Every day, I draw on the creativity and work ethic I learned at that workbench and from my mom to guide our product design and research. And when it comes to supporting our clients, I bring the same kindness and dedication to service that my Mimi showed everyone who walked into her shop.
Owning a company was my dream because I wanted to make a tangible difference in the world, and digital forensics is where I knew I could impact people’s lives the most. As we celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday, I look back and realize that my version of the American Dream wasn’t built overnight. It was a generational process of hard work, grit, and refinement. But it all started with a five-year-old girl sitting on a stool, watching her family bake a life out of nothing.
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