Prisma was born in Atlanta, Georgia, at Grady Hospital. She was the oldest sibling in the family with two younger sisters. Her family moved around a few times, but they eventually remained in the same house from the time Prisma was in the third grade onward. She loved playing outside as a child, including swinging across the creek, picking fruits like blackberries and plums, and exploring her surroundings.

The local public school was structured with a K-7 program, and students graduated to high school in 8th grade. Prisma found her classes to be somewhat boring, although she was later placed in an honors program. However, she loved mentoring the younger students, spending her 7th grade year reading to her kindergarten buddy. Prisma also remembers some of her teachers getting creative, like making them green eggs and ham when they read the book of the same name by Dr. Seuss.

During her high school years, Prisma made the most of the activities offered at her school. She was in the drama club and engineering club, also serving as the class president for three years. Additionally, she loved sports and participated in volleyball, basketball, softball, track, tennis, and the dance team. She also sang at her local church.

Although Prisma had a passion for creative interests—and even had hopes for stardom—she was dissuaded from pursuing a career that might not provide her with stability in the future. After considering other options, Prisma decided that her skills in problem-solving and mathematics could lead to a career as an engineer.

After being accepted to Fort Valley State in Georgia, she began her studies in the engineering program. However, she later switched her major to mathematics.

During the summer of her freshman year, Prisma wasn’t having much luck finding an available summer internship, so she joined the Army National Guard. She was activated during Desert Storm in her second year, so her studies were interrupted for some time while the unit trained in California in case they would need to deploy. Although the conflict ended prior to the unit leaving, Prisma always trained with the mindset that their preparation was real, a perspective she realized that was not shared by everyone who was part of the Army National Guard.

After her return to Fort Valley State, Prisma resumed her studies. While at the local basketball court, she met someone who caught her eye, and they started dating. The two eventually married. Although the relationship didn’t last, both served with the Army National Guard in the same unit.

Despite the interruptions to her studies, Prisma was still able to complete a dual-degree program in six years, walking across the stage at graduation twice for the mathematics and math education degrees. Her family members were there to share their pride in her accomplishments.

Prisma found a job teaching in her hometown high school. She taught for 10 years and enjoyed the profession. She loved seeing the students learn when presented with challenges, especially when she could help them to feel confident when they doubted their skills. Prisma wanted to ensure the students could embrace their aspirations, especially as she had been discouraged from reaching for her own.

While she was teaching, Prisma joined the Reserves and remarried. Eventually, she was convinced to try a full-time role in the Army by going active duty. She had started as a Private First Class (PFC) in the National Guard and worked her way up to a Second Lieutenant (2LT) after completing Officer Candidate School (OCS).

She applied for a position as an Operations Research Systems Analyst (ORSA), a role she later learned was a highly-coveted operation. She would be responsible for data analysis and providing recommendations to the chain of command. As the position required her knowledge of mathematics, statistics, and computer science—as well as personal creativity—it suited her interests well.

She found the transition to be a significant change, both with a financial impact and the respect she received as an officer. Prisma vowed to remember the responsibility she had as an officer to respect others as she would want to be respected, regardless of their rank. She always wanted to be able to do more to support those in her command and see the impact of her leadership.

Many of Prisma’s duty stations were in Georgia, meaning she was still able to visit with her family frequently. She also spent time in Fort Knox, Kentucky, at the Headquarters for the Army Recruiting Command. Additionally, she served in several temporary duty (TDY) assignments, including a couple in-country (overseas) posts.

While stationed at Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty), she was diagnosed with stage 1.5 breast cancer. She had to face surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Prisma learned about the importance of a mind-body connection for healing and the impact of positivity. Although she was not always comfortable asking others for help, she realized that it takes strength to allow others to help us when we are in need. She embraced a quote by Mr. Rogers: "Love is at the root of everything. All learning, all parenting, all relationships. Love or the lack of it.” Prisma also received deep love from her young son during this time. Although he was initially a bit shocked to see Prisma without hair, he reassured her that he loved her just the same, even giving her a big kiss on her bald head. She made a full recovery and expresses gratitude for those who supported her at every step during her cancer treatments.

Near the end of Prisma’s career, she transitioned to the Active Guard Reserve (AGR), which is a full-time reserve program. When she eventually retired as a Lieutenant Colonel (LTC), she had given 33 years of service to the Army.