Somewhere along Route 60, west of Phoenix, Ariz., is a small town called Surprise.  It’s a diverse mixture of ethnicities, affordable housing, plenty of water, and, of course, golf courses, deep in the Valley of the Sun.  Surprise is where Ebony Tolliber comes from.  Ebony is a Peer Educator with the For Love or Money program.  She’s glad to be in L.A. “because it’s such a busy place,” and her favorite past-time is driving around the city, checking out the houses.  She especially likes the homes that sit high in the foothills of the handful of mountain ranges which cradle L.A.  Ebony enjoys horseback riding and adds that, before coming to Hollywood, she spent a large amount of time at a horse ranch called Saddle Up, where she was a volunteer—the trade off was being able to ride the horses!  Her favorite places to visit in L.A. are the great local attractions—Six Flags, Griffith Park, the Zoo, and our fabulous large parks. I asked Ebony about what drew her to work in this field—“the clients,” she responded.  She added that she was attracted to Hollywood with ideas of “making it big,” and thought of California as the perfect place for her.  Her future plan is to be a teacher and she would like to work with a school for the hearing and visually impaired.  She should be proud of her career direction!  Ebony describes herself as very forward but laid back.  Two excellent qualities!

--Danielle Edwards