My father was the one who prepared me for college. He, from the time I was in the fourth grade and he realized that I had skills for academics, took me out – I’m sorry I’m crying – and purchased a desk for me. And we didn’t have a lot of money, but he went out and bought me a brand new desk that I picked out because being a student was my only job. Excuse me, he encouraged me to look at Smith College. I wasn’t looking at any other single-sex schools and he asked me to look at Smith College and took me around to all my college interviews and helped me prepare the tape, my audition tape, for all the schools. He’s the one [who] went out and bought the equipment to be able to make a recording, I recorded a Mozart concerto and I played the flute part and then I learned the piano part which was condensed for an orchestra score and he recorded both parts. So, I accompanied myself on this audition tape. So my father was a huge contributor.
Erin Bradbury was born in Grafton Hill in Worcester in 1972. She attended Wachusett Regional High School, Smith College and Suffolk University Law School. She is a lawyer currently practicing law and owns her own practice in Holden, Massachusetts. Erin is a mother of two, a wife, and an active volunteer, and also has musical abilities. In this interview, she discusses her family aspects and how much they mean to her and how they influenced her life decisions. For example, she discusses how her mother was a “great debater” and how she taught her to stand up for herself. Erin says this is one of the reasons why she decided to become a lawyer. Erin volunteers for many community service organizations, and recognizes volunteer service as a defining factor of her identity. She enjoys helping the elderly, the poor, the homeless, and the uneducated. Her passion for helping out those in need will expand overseas when she visits Africa in order to help girls achieve a better education. She and her husband share the morals concerning community service and wish to pass them on to their children. The diversity found in her interests is impressive. Not only does she practice law, but she finds the time to travel, to commit to several community service organizations, remain close to her family and friends, and has plans to expand her musical ability in the future.