Dawn grew up in Tinley Park, IL, just south of Chicago. She began swimming at the age of 5 and throughout her childhood participated in many sports, including basketball, soccer, and dance. In college, Dawn was on the Northern Illinois University Division I Swim Team from 1998-2000.
Swimming at the college level included many hours in the pool as well as consistent weight training during the season. During summer breaks from college Dawn was introduced to the sport of bodybuilding by her older brother and encouraged to continue lifting weights in the off-season. At this time, she also developed an interest in nutrition and began researching what supplements could help her excel at swimming and recover faster after long swim practices and weight training sessions.
As a lifelong athlete, Dawn was seeking something else to be competitive in after college. While she did not want to put on the amount of size necessary to be a competitive female bodybuilder, she was excited when the NPC figure division was introduced. Over the past few years Dawn has worked hard to excel in the sport, evidenced by her qualifying to compete at the National level in 2008, and continuing to retain that qualification to date. Her most notable placing was 2nd at the 2011 NPC USAs in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is now even more motivated to bring her best package to the stage in 2012 in hopes of achieving her goal of obtaining an IFBB Pro Card. Dawn aspires to one day stand on the Olympia stage and grace the pages of her favorite fitness magazines. With dedication, determination, and a strong support system, she feels these goals are achievable.
In addition to competing, Dawn currently works as a full-time financial auditor in Austin, TX. She holds a B.S. in Operations and Information Management and a M.B.A. in Management Information Systems, and is currently in pursuit of obtaining her C.P.A license. Dawn has also been a certified personal trainer since 2001 and is passionate about helping others achieve their health and fitness goals. Outside of her passions for fitness, Dawn enjoys traveling with her husband Ryan.
