In every corner of the Lowcountry and across the front lines of national defense, women are rising to the call of duty with unwavering resolve, strength, and compassion. From police officers walking neighborhood beats to firefighters battling roaring blazes, and soldiers deployed overseas to paramedics responding to crises at home, these women are redefining what it means to protect and serve. Their presence in roles once dominated by men is not just a testament to progress—it’s a powerful reminder that courage knows no gender.

What inspired you to pursue such a challenging career?
I originally went to Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) thinking I was going to be a science major, but what I found there was a different calling. EKU has an outstanding fire science program, and as I explored public service careers, I realized how drawn I was to the fire service—the challenge, the teamwork, and the opportunity to make a real difference. I earned my degree in Fire Safety Engineering Technology with a minor in Police Administration, and from there, my passion for serving and protecting others truly took root.

What inspired you to pursue such a challenging career with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and what do you love about it?
During college, I never thought about going into a law enforcement career. I happened to fall into my career path after finishing graduate school. I knew I wanted to do something related to natural resources and conservation, but I did not know to what level. The best aspect of my job with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is I have the ability to make it what I want. I get to use officer discretion with every interaction. Even if an individual gets a ticket, they rarely leave with a bad attitude. Interacting with and educating the public so they can continue enjoying our resources is my favorite part of my job.

Congratulations! You just graduated from the Naval Academy. Tell us about your journey in getting to and through the Academy.
When I was applying to colleges, I struggled to find my “why.” I knew I wanted to do something meaningful, and I couldn’t find an avenue to do that at a conventional school. My grandfather grew up in Connie Maxwell’s Children’s Home in Greenwood, SC, and enlisted in the Navy when he turned 18, during Vietnam. His time in the Navy dramatically shaped his life and made him into the man I look up to. I realized I wanted the opportunity to lead sailors like my grandpa, to provide them with mentorship and support in pursuing a job well-done and a meaningful community. So, I applied to the Naval Academy. Now that I have graduated and commissioned, I’m excited to get into the submarine force to work as a member of such an incredible team.

What inspired you to pursue such a challenging career? How and/or why did you What inspired you to pursue such a challenging career?
In 2021, I attended my younger brother’s boot camp graduation at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego. He truly inspired me and within a few days I met his recruiter. Before then, I never had thought of joining the Marine Corps. 

What inspired you to pursue such a challenging career, and what do you love about it?

Law enforcement is my family’s business, so it always felt like a natural path. I knew it would be both rewarding and exciting. My passion for service and commitment led me to policing.

I knew I had the strength, discipline, and mindset to do the job, and more importantly, I felt called to it. It spoke directly to my belief: If not me, then who? I couldn’t ignore the pull to serve, protect, and be part of something bigger than myself. I wanted to be the one who stepped up when others wouldn’t, to stand in the gap when others stepped back. That sense of purpose has guided me from the beginning and continues to shape how I lead and serve today. I love this career because it offers a front-row seat to humanity, witnessing the best in people and being present when others need you the most. I especially find purpose in working with the community to make Beaufort a great place to live and raise a family.

What inspired you to pursue such a challenging career?
I chose EMS (Emergency Management Services) because it brings something different every day. I never go into work and have the exact same thing as the day before or even the week before. It can be fast-paced, and it forces me to think and act quickly. At this department, we rotate between the ambulance and the fire engine. All of us have to be knowledgeable and know both sides. One day I might be assigned to the medic unit, the next day I’m on the engine. This keeps things even more interesting. I’m never bored, there’s always something to do—running calls, training, completing reports, learning something new, reviewing what I’ve learned, cleaning the apparatus or station, the list goes on and on.

What inspired you to pursue such a challenging career? How and/or why did you choose your branch of service? What do you love about it?
Upon graduating high school, I knew I wanted to be in a career where I could help people. I started going through EMT/paramedic school but found myself joining the U.S. Air Force, where I became a military police. Once I separated from the military, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but the opportunity of becoming a school resource officer came up and I couldn’t turn it down! This position lets me serve and help others, especially children.

A chance encounter on the Fourth of July in New York City brought Stephanie and JR Brown together. She had gone to see the fireworks where there were hundreds and hundreds of people. Wanting to get away from the huge crowds, she got a table in a restaurant, which was also very crowded. In a matter of minutes, JR appeared and asked if he could share her table. She said yes.

Turning into Okatee River Farms, one drives through wide-open, beautiful wrought iron gates. They seem to welcome you to another world, where there is a sudden shift, both in the landscape and attitude. The hectic traffic is still close by, but it’s as if it evaporates once you pass through the gates. It feels like you can let your guard down, relax, and breathe. A dirt road leads you to the farm, but the first thing you notice is a magnificent, huge, oak tree that is probably 250-300 years old. Its beauty is captivating, and the Sanders family chose to use its image in their logo.

Sea Sea’s Honey Hole Bait & Tackle is located at the very end of 8th Street in Port Royal, near the Sands. It is a concrete block building that has been there for as long as anyone can remember. It’s been spiffed up quite a bit with rocking chairs, swings for kids, and picnic tables outside. And inside you see every kind of bait (minnows, eels, fiddlers), tackle gear (rods, reels, artificial bait), and t-shirts. There are a few tables near a small kitchen on the left. The dynamo that got this business up and running is Isis (named after an Egyptian goddess) Nunez, and she is definitely a “fireball”, as described in my assignment.

There’s a certain feeling one gets when spotting a shrimping trawler offshore with its ample, outstretched arms beckoning nature to fill its bows. I don’t know if it’s the simplicity an ancient craft, or the magic of how nature provides that connects us so deeply to the sea and its harvest. But one thing is for sure, the bounty makes us all grateful for those fisherman who go out and brave the sea to get it.

With a legacy of well over 100 years fishing and trawling Lowcountry waters, the Toomer Family roots run wide throughout the Lowcountry and deep in that big blue Atlantic.

“Honey, enjoy it!”

This is the advice Lucy DeWitt would give her younger self knowing what she knows today at 100 years old. The great news is somehow she had this intuition in her all along because she’s had a wonderful life and truly has no regrets.

I met Lucy at Salon Shelter Cove on Hilton Head Island right after her standing Wednesday hair appointment. She has been going to salon owner and stylist Carla Bozeman for 26 years. It was Carla who introduced me to Lucy, writing me before Christmas, “You should do a feature on Lucy, my client. She is so stylish and has a long, rich history on Hilton Head. Keep in mind she’ll be 101 in May!”

Glenn Jarrell built his house 69 years ago in a pristine location on the Little Chechessee River. He chose the site because he loved to waterski and enjoyed doing tricks on his skis. He met the love of his life, Louise, and married her 45 years ago. Louise and Glenn’s river home became the gathering site for three generations of family. Louise had four daughters from a previous marriage, and there are now 13 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and 22 cousins – with lots of babies still coming!

Abbie: Being an advocates of Montessori education, when were you first exposed to the Montessori way, and what brought you to wholeheartedly believe in Montessori methodology?
My parents were early believers in Montessori education, though I was too old by the time Montessori schools were developing around the US. I think child-directed, experiential learning spoke to them as highly educated people. When we children were of marriageable age and considering having children of our own, they spoke often to us about the value of the Montessori way.

Tennis brought Margie and Stan Smith together. At age 13, Margie was a ball girl at a tennis championship that Stan had just won. He was 17. After the match, Margie told her mother, “Stan Smith will never notice me. Mother was very prophetic. She told me, ‘Wait five years ‘til your 18th birthday.’ On my 18th birthday, Stan asked me out!”

Stan and Margie have been married for 50 years. “I guess being married 50 years is a long time, and 50 seems like a big number. But looking back, it doesn’t seem that long. A marriage goes through different stages, and it’s important to communicate and try to understand the other person’s point of view. There’s a saying about walking in another’s moccasins. We’ve stayed married because we were in it for the long haul, and happily so. Besides, it’s too late for a divorce,” she joked.

Jamese Franklin knows who she is.

Born and raised on Hilton Head Island, Jamese hails from an athletic family. Her father coached track and field and football; her mom coached basketball. Growing up, Jamese played volleyball and soccer, but it was basketball that captured her heart. “In my family, you don’t really have a choice,” said Jamese. “Once you can walk, you pick up a sport.”

Kenzie McCracken exudes confidence and a desire to live her best life. From beauty pageants to Spartan races to motherhood, she does it all.

Kenzie was born and raised on Hilton Head Island and attended Hilton Head High School, where she was a cheerleader, earning a competitive cheer scholarship to Limestone University in Gaffney, SC. The University is a longtime sponsor of the South Carolina Peach Festival, which includes the Peach Festival Beauty Pageant held on the Limestone campus. With all the excitement surrounding the festival, Kenzie decided to compete.

Sarah Mitten plays hard both on and off the pickleball court. By day, Sarah is a realtor and a professional pickleball coach on Hilton Head Island at Island Rec Center. She arrived in the U.S. in 1987 on a full scholarship to nationally ranked Mississippi State to play Division I tennis. A student-athlete, Sarah played field hockey, soccer, and tennis but needed to choose which sport she would pursue. Tennis offered young adult Sarah the most opportunity, and she became a SEC scholar-athlete.

Early on the morning of October 5, 1976, shortly after her husband left for work, a ski-masked man brandishing a butcher knife broke into Jane Carson-Sandler’s home. Threatening her between clenched teeth, he bound, gagged, and blindfolded both her and her 3-year-old son. After taking the boy away, he viciously raped Jane, but all she could think the whole time was Where is my son? What are you going to do to my son?

Her attacker was the notorious Golden State Killer, one of the worst serial rapists and murderers in American history. Between 1974 and 1986 he went on a series of sadistic sprees, leaving entire counties gripped in fear. He raped more than 50 women, killed at least 13 people and burglarized over a hundred homes around Central and Southern California.

Life has a way of guiding people toward their calling.
What do you feel you have been called to do?
I think my calling is to bring people together and enrich the lives of those around me through shared passions and experiences. A little about my early years… I was born in New York and later moved with my family to Hilton Head Island. In both places, I dabbled in as many sports as possible, dipped into every art form I could, and joined more social clubs than I can count. I traveled a lot, which exposed me to a vast variety of people and places. Nowadays, I love connecting people to others who I think they might enjoy getting to know, and nothing makes me happier than taking someone out to try a new activity or see a new place with me as their guide.

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” —Helen Keller.

No one can say Hilton Head Island native Annie Bartholomew’s life is nothing, because she has already lived a life filled with adventures and entrepreneurship, and she has no intention of stopping now.

This small-town island girl transformed into a world traveler at the nudging of her mother, who had studied abroad when she was in college. Now, Annie has traveled across the US to 36 states and around the world to 47 different countries—some more than once!

Kim and Nils Buri call Grindelwald, Switzerland home, but their hearts also belong to the South Carolina Lowcountry, where for decades, they have maintained a second home.

Their story began in 1989 when they met on a chairlift in Aspen, Colorado. Kim, a private banker from New York City, wasn’t sure about dating Nils, a youthful-looking ski instructor, but his persistence paid off. They’ve practically been inseparable now for 35 years.

In 1991, as Nils watched the Heritage Golf Classic on television, he declared, “We need to go there!”

Dianne Acton lived a life of adventure and loved to experience new places and try new things. Her daughter, Shelly Hudson, described her as a groundbreaker for women. “She was the only one in her family who went to college. Once she worked on a construction site and wore a pink hard hat,” Shelly said. Her Mom was a strong, independent, and successful woman with an entrepreneurial spirit, who owned a contract support business in Washington D.C.

Shelly’s Mom lived life to the fullest, enjoying every exciting adventure she could, like skydiving, hang gliding, parasailing, soaring in a hot air balloon and a glider plane. Dianne especially loved to travel.

Sixteen-year-old Mac Gohagan came home from football practice last May (2024) and told his mother, Jackie, “Boy, I’m out of shape. I can hardly keep going.” Jackie said the next day he felt sick, he had a fever of 102°, he was throwing up and holding his upper stomach, lying on the floor in pain. She noticed his eyes were yellow and thought it might be his gall bladder. She took her son to the emergency room and was told it was probably a virus.

Sandra Bowden is a collector of beautiful things.

Twenty years ago, Sandra and her husband arrived in the Lowcountry to be near family—two children, four grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren—some of whom were heading toward Savannah. A friend lived in the area, and as an avid golfer, the choice to live in Hilton Head seemed obvious. “We had only a few days to make a decision and bought our house in three hours,” explained Sandra. The rush to find a landing pad resulted from the recent sale of their prior home. With a smile in her voice, Sandra said, “It was a good choice!”

Sometimes two people are just meant to be together.

Mark Hammond and Deanna (Dee) Dowling met unconventionally. A chance meeting in Six Oaks Cemetery in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island would change their lives in ways that neither understood at the time. That moment led Mark and Dee to not only discover how many things they had in common, but also how their relationship was almost preordained.

Fate? Destiny? Karma? Are you someone who believes there’s no such thing as coincidences? Whether you believe or not, some kind of magic (perhaps patience) played a role in the love story of Lauren and Dennis Puckey, for it mirrors the love stories of both their parents.

Dennis’ parents, Bob and Dolores Puckey, were sweethearts in high school. When Bob moved to Michigan after graduation, Dolores followed, and they eloped. They were married on March 15, 1956.

Mellow Lee began visiting her grandparents’ Hilton Head Island home in the mid-1980s.

Somehow their tiny piece of the Lowcountry always felt like a close second home to her. Mellow spent her entire life in Charleston, West Virginia, except for a year in Morgantown. However, life somewhat came full circle for her, and the Lowcountry became her next home when the Beaufort County School District Deputy Superintendent position became available in September 2023.

“It was difficult to leave my coworkers and family in West Virginia, but it was an opportunity, and I was looking for something to help me grow,” said Mellow. Her son, his fiancé, and their daughter moved into Mellow’s West Virginia home, while she headed south. “I had my mind set on coming here,” she said. However, she was surprised when she received the phone call from Beaufort County School District, as she had previously applied for the same position and never heard back.

There’s more to A’Nya Marshburn’s life story than meets the eye.

A’Nya graduated from high school as salutatorian with a full-ride scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned two bachelor’s degrees in psychology and human development and family studies in three years and graduated from the honors college. She then earned her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University.

A’Nya Marshburn is a mere 23 years old.


Before COVID arrived, A’Nya trained and became a Certified Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Technician. ABA therapy is the gold standard of care and an evidence-based practice that targets children with autistic behaviors.