Rising Stars: Meet Ava Corrado

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ava Corrado.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
To understand the story, we must go back to little Ava growing up in a trailer park in Clinton Township, Michigan. I now know there is nothing wrong with growing up in a trailer. It is where my mother encouraged my older sister, Nina, and older brother, Sammy, and me to be whatever we dreamed of being. It is where my dad would come home for dinner every night with the family after working hard installing floors every day. It is where my brother, sister, and I shared a room and dreamed of seeing the world one day after arguing over whose Spice Girls or NSYNC poster got hung up on the wall. 

Unfortunately, as you do in adolescence, I let outside influences and stereotypes, like the infamous trailer trash, dictate my self-worth, which had a profound effect on my childhood. 

I was more concerned with what people thought of me and less concerned with other things like my schoolwork. For instance, I may be the only person in history who failed a photography class. I believed that education and intelligence were reserved for a select few. Those who were born with it, which I certainly was not, and those who could afford to pay for it, which we certainly could not. 

Fast forward a few years, I moved across the country to Los Angeles, changed my clothes, my hair, and how I talked in hopes of tricking people into believing I was no longer the little girl from the trailer park. At twenty-four, I was exhausted and unrecognizable, and I had a resume filled with dead-end jobs. 

Then, one day, when I was at my lowest and nothing but a clump of Forever 21 clothes and tears on the floor, someone very near and dear to me changed my life. They told me something I had never heard before. They told me that despite what I thought, little girls who grow up in trailer parks are smart and can attend school. Despite what the negative thoughts in my head told me, I could change my own life. 

So, admitting defeat, I did. I enrolled at Los Angeles Community College (Go Monarchs!) the following semester. When I started school, I had to start from the very beginning. Most college students enroll in English 101; however, after an entrance exam was put in English 28, the beginning of the beginning. 

I jumped into my studies headfirst, going to school full-time while working three jobs. School opened up my mind, my world, and endless opportunities. I eventually transferred to California State University, Northridge, where I received my bachelor’s degree and, finally, my Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology, focusing on Early Childhood Education. Something little Ava from the trailer park couldn’t even have dreamed of accomplishing one day. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I once heard that three things go into success: hard work, believing in yourself, and luck. My biggest obstacle was going to be overcoming my self-doubt. Luck was out of my control, and working hard was no problem. Growing up, my parents always told us that if we wanted anything, we would have to work for it, which we did. My siblings and I have had jobs for as long as I can remember. We saved for our cell phones, cars, and every penny to move across the country. Additionally, we were fortunate to have a mother who believed in us no matter what. We could have come home from art class with a pile of trash, and she would still tell us how much she loved it and would display it proudly on the wall. Unfortunately, I had such low self-esteem most of my life that it didn’t matter who believed in me; I didn’t believe in myself. It wasn’t until I went back to school (and into therapy) that I realized my self-sabotaging patterns. Now I see the importance of believing and fighting for yourself because who else is a better cheerleader for yourself than yourself? However, don’t get me wrong, I still deal with self-doubt daily; the difference is now I have the tools to work through it. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My husband and I have a DIY YouTube channel called Sail Life, where we currently travel the world documenting the restoration of our sailboat and our travels. My specialty is researching the history and story behind the places we visit, bringing our viewers on tours of where we are. 

However, my passion is in early childhood development. I have spent over ten years as a nanny and working as a preschool teacher. Currently, the flexibility of living on a sailboat has allowed me to work and travel as a nanny and educator for various families worldwide. 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
As mentioned, my mother is my biggest supporter, and I would not be the person I am today without her. However, my sister has been my greatest role model. I don’t know what superhuman fuel she got at birth, but she has had this insane drive since she came out of my mother. She has worked tirelessly to beat all odds and has gained success through hard work and determination in a highly competitive field, the film industry. I am so proud of her and my mother and am so lucky to have such strong and determined women to look up to. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.saillifechannel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saillife_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saildotlife
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/saillife