After completing her Bachelor of Arts at the Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio), in December of 2000, she began graduate studies at The College of St. Rose in Albany, New York. For her final project for her Master’s Degree in English/Writing, she drew on experiences from her own life. The resulting thesis, which recounted her remarkable journey, was the basis of what would become her inspiring autobiography.

Once Erika graduated in '02, Erika continued to work on her book, including more information and adding new chapters. Perhaps the most significant of those chapters came about when she stated the title of her book, I'm Going to Dance: A Memoir About Traumatic Brain Injury during a newspaper interview.

Soon after the story ran, she was contacted by Michael Muller, a dance instructor who offered her private lessons.

Always thinking of how she could help others, Erika premiered her book at a dance/fundraiser to benefit the Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS). Held in March 2006, “The Surviving Dancer’s Fundraising Flurry: Making Dreams Come True” event raised over $16,000 for an organization close to Erika’s heart.

But even while that was going on, Erika was moving ahead on other projects, writing and registering the screenplay of her story, giving motivational speeches to individuals who had experienced traumatic brain injuries and attending advocacy training sessions at BIANYS. This all was driven by her powerful need to make her story available to anyone in search of hope or inspiration, especially those with TBI, the leading killer and disabler of this nation’s children and young adults.

She also briefly worked at a dance studio as part of the office management team. There, she fueled her passion for dancing and used the experience to create additional material for her greatest interest and love: writing.

As her story continues to unfold, Erika hopes that many people, even those who have not sustained a traumatic brain injury, will enjoy, appreciate and be comforted by her experiences. With a writing style that is unique and unconventional, she provides an honest depiction of her struggles, defeats, efforts and triumphs and examples to allow readers to believe in miracles and realize that they, too, have a wealth of potential.

Today, Erika continues to aspire; for example, she is determined to run despite being told she never would and expects to one day win a Pulitzer Prize for her writing.

Given her history, it would be hard to argue that she cannot achieve these goals, and her fans can’t wait for the stories that will come from her success.