Heather Stoffer was born and raised in the South Louisiana city of Lafayette. A 2006 graduate of Ovey-Comeaux High School, she worked full-time in high school to help support the family during her mother’s sickness and to ensure her younger sister was cared for.
Of the experience, Stoffer said, “I had a lot of fun though, with a large group of friends. Our parents knew each other, so my friends’ parents became my parents, and my friends were my family.”
While many of her friends remained in Lafayette to attend the University of Louisiana, Stoffer continued to work, attending one semester at a community college. She said she felt lost and was struggling with what direction she wanted to take. Her then-fiancée called off the marriage a week before her wedding, and she was forced to move back in with her parents…