Eddie Neal

Neal graduated from Gibbs and the Pinellas County Center for the Arts.She then went on to the University of Florida in Gainesville where she majored in psychology and minored in general education and graduated with honors."When I left college I worked as a counselor for several programs involving young people.Then I found that if I got certified I could go into the classroom.That was the best thing I could have done," she said.This year Neal is teaching math at Osceola Middle School."I know now this is the place I should be and I love working with middle school students.I didn't know until I started teaching math how much I enjoyed watching my students progress in this subject," said Neal."This is definitely my calling."With sunshine you get a little rain too and Neal recently had a storm pass through her young life.Married to Eddie Neal in October of 2001 she soon found herself pregnant with her first child.During the fifth month of gestation it was discovered that the child had a rare and devastating genetic disorder.It was so severe that the child died.It was a sad and overwhelming situation for Neal and her husband to face but it made them closer and stronger."I first met my husband when I was 11 years old.His sister and I were best friends.We went to high school together and were even roommates in college.When I came home from school we started dating and the rest as they say is history," she said. Shortly after all this she became pregnant again and is expecting a brand new baby in January of 2003.All the tests point to this being a healthy and robust baby girl.