dre wolf

   THE ONLY BOY AND THE MIDDLE CHILD, ANDRE LEARNED QUICKLY THE VALUE OF SILENCE AND THE HOW TO BLEND IN WITH HIS SURROUNDINGS. LORI AND DONNELL HAD A HAPPY, WELL BALANCED MARRIAGE. THEY BOTH WORKED HARD IN THEIR CAREERS, THEY BOTH PUT TIME IN WITH THEIR CHILDREN, AND JUGGLED ALL SEVEN OF THEIR SCHEDULES SEAMLESSLY. THERE WAS ALWAYS FOOD ON THE TABLE, THERE WERE ALWAYS CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS, AND THEY NEVER MISSED A FIELD TRIP IN SCHOOL. DONNELL AND LORI TOOK TURNS WORKING A SECOND JOB; DONNELL WOULD WORK OVERNIGHT IN A FACTORY FROM JANUARY TO JUNE, LORI WOULD WORK OVERNIGHT IN A GROCERY STORE JULY TO DECEMBER.

   ACADEMICS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES WERE THE TOOLS HIS PARENTS USED TO KEEP THEIR LITTER OF CHILDREN OFF THE STREET. GOOD GRADES WERE NECESSITY TO BEING INVOLVED IN EXTRACURRICULARS AND EXTRACURRICULARS WERE THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE OF SOCIALIZING WITH THEIR PEERS. IT WORKED, TOO, SINCE NONE OF THE WOLF CHILDREN EVER ENDED UP ON DRUGS, IN JAIL, OR SCARRED FOR LIFE BY ANY CHILDHOOD OR ADOLESCENT INCIDENTS. RAISING FIVE CHILDREN SUCCESSFULLY WAS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT AND BOTH ANDRE'S PARENTS OFTENTIMES TALKED WITH THE UPMOST PRIDE IN THEIR VOICES WHEN IT CAME TO ALL FIVE KIDS.

   LIFE CHANGED FOR THE WOLF SIBLINGS WHEN DRE WAS A SENIOR, THOUGH. HIS PARENTS MARRIAGE, THE ONE STABLE THING IN HIS LIFE, TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORST. DONELL AND LORI SEAPARATED, BUT DID NOT DIVORCE. DONELL STAYED IN SAN DIEGO, LORI MOVED TO HUNTINGTON BEACH. FOR YEARS THEIR CHILDREN BOUNCED BETWEEN THE TWO PLACES. ANDRE TOOK A YEAR OFF BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE, HE WORKED MENIAL JOBS TO PROVIDE INCOME TO SUPPORT HIMSELF AND HE DID A LOT OF THINKING. ENROLLING AT UCI FOR NURSING WAS MORE OF PRACTICAL DECISION THAN IT WAS THE FULFILLMENT OF A LIFELONG DREAM. NURSES WERE IN HIGH DEMAND, THE JOB PAID EXTREMELY WELL, AND ANDRE WAS READY TO MOVE ON.

   FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE WAS THE MOST UNPRODUCTIVE FOR ANDRE, GIVEN HE WASN'T ACCUSTOMED TO MANAGING HIS OWN SCHEDULE. HE PASSED HIS COURSES, BUT THOSE TWO SEMESTERS HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HIS OVERALL GPA BY THE TIME HE GRADUATED. THERE WASN'T A LOT OF TIME FOR PARTYING OR DATING SINCE HIS TIME WAS SPREAD THIN BETWEEN SCHOOL, WORK, AND HELPING HIS MOTHER ANY WAY THAT HE COULD. HE DID, HOWEVER, FIND THE TIME TO HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE. COLLEGE TAUGHT HIM A LOT ABOUT HIS AREA OF STUDY, ABOUT GROWN WOMEN, AND ABOUT HIMSELF AS A MAN. ANDRE DID A LOT OF GROWING AND MATURING, HE LEARNED TO COPE WITH THE LOSE OF HIS PARENTS MARRIAGE.

   ANDRE GRADUATED FROM UCI IN THE TOP OF HIS CLASS IN '15 AND WENT ON TO SECURE A JOB AT HUNTINGTON BEACH HOSPITAL IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM. HE WORKED FOR A FEW MONTHS AND LIVED WITH HIS MOTHER UNTIL HE COULD AFFORD TO MOVE OUT ON HIS OWN WITHOUT GOING INTO DEBT. IT DIDN'T TAKE HIM LONG TO REALIZE THAT HIS APARTMENT WAS LONELY. ANDRE DIDN'T PARTICULARLY CRAVE HUMAN COMPANY, AS GROWING UP IN A CROWDED HOUSE HAD EXHAUSTED HIM OF THAT, BUT HE DID WANT SOME FORM OF COMPANIONSHIP. AFTER A LONG DELIBERATION, HE DECIDED TO ADOPT A DOG THAT HE PROMPTLY NAMED MAKAVELI, MAK FOR SHORT.