Christina LaFaye Bates

  Christina Bates does not have it all, but she has what it takes to live a fulfilling life. Pressed for time, she fidgets in a straight chair set in her grandmother's sunroom on Hilton Head Island. She has squeezed in a few moments to reflect on her soon-to-be 24 years. The ice is broken with the first question posed to her, and this alert young lady melts into a stream of smiles and easy talk.

"I think I live a pretty good life," she said-a life not perfect by far, she admits, but one filled with small adventures. Just the mere logistics amaze her family. The new car she bought less than a year ago has had five oil changes, and the odometer registers over 27,000 miles.

From South Florida to New York State she has driven, often by herself, kept company by an eclectic collection of CDs that weighs heavy on old school R&B tunes. Not afraid of getting lost on those long road trips, she says confidently, "There are directions: north, south, east and west." She adds, "I'm not the type of person to wait for someone to come and pick me up to do something. I go ahead and do what I need to do."

Christina recently took up square dancing, which requires discipline, and encourages the art of following directions, she says. These two characteristics are a challenge to her. Besides, she adds, "You can make mistakes, but everyone is there to have fun."

With no children or significant other to demand her attention right now, Christina says that living the good life is more than just doing what you want to do. It's about being free to help others in need, which is one of the reasons she decided to enter the health care field and pursue nursing.
Christina thanks God that she is able to fulfill her personal dreams and, at the same time, is able to help those close to her. She is most proud that she was able to give her best girlfriend a sentimental item that had belonged to her deceased grandfather; she knew that her friend needed it. There is unspoken gratification in being around people who are there for you and you for them. It's respect that money can't buy, she says.

"Being friendly and giving your honest opinion," is how Christina describes meeting people. For the past four years she worked front desk at a hotel and collected many business cards, but she says the best part is seeing how people come back into her life.

This free spirit has only one regret: the debt she acquired from college loans after briefly attending two other colleges. (She now attends The Technical College of the Lowcountry.) It requires that she must sometimes take a second job.

The previous day, Christina had done what she called, "an unbelievable thing." She babysat her Godsister, a 10-month-old handful whom she took to the car wash, a children's birthday party and a baby shower, all in one day. But, "Wow," she said, "I actually had someone who was dependent on me."