My Story:

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 For the longest time I wanted to know about my great aunt Paula whom I'm named after. She was my grandfather's youngest sister who perished in Auschwitz at the young age of 13. 

For years I was discouraged to start my new found passion, told I would be wasting my time, and won't find anything as all documents were destroyed. It wasn't until the early 2000s I was extremely determined to prove everyone wrong and began my genealogical journey.

When I started my research, I only had 13 family members names on my tree thanks to my grandfather and his small book he left Austria with. As of October 2022, I've traced back to the late 1700s and now have 382 names on my family tree. With all the work I've done and continue to do, I have multiple binders including emails, documents that have been mailed to me and photos found along the way. 

All the research I have done over the years, it has encouraged me to travel to Europe to experience everything first hand. With the addresses I have found I have visited where family members have lived, walked the same streets they did, visit cemeteries where family members are laid to rest, visit organizations such as the Gestapo Office and the Kindertransport Office, memorials and museums. 

December 2014, I knew that it was the right time to go back to school to increase my knowledge for my passion of genealogy. I enrolled in the Canadian Records Certificate Program at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. Upon graduating from Canadian Certificate in Genealogical Studies - 40 Courses, it has given me the knowledge, support from my teachers, increased my confidence in my work, and the training tools that would be needed to help others trace their roots. This valuable experience has motivated me to continue to enroll in more courses to continue my education. With the help from the Canadian National Institute for Genealogical Studies, it has prepared me for my career in genealogy to help others learn about their own family history.