Brittney Finley is a 19-year-old occupational therapist assistant major. She was inspired to go into this field to help people after her mother, Christy, had a stroke in 2012.

Now, Finley helps her mother clean, cook, get dressed, and paint her nails. She believes that the hard experience she went through with her mother made her choose her specialization and feels that her purpose in life is to help people who are going through those circumstances.

“It is nice to see her smile when I help her like that,” she said.

Finley, who is in her second semester at Kapi’olani Community College, is originally from Batesville, Ind., but moved to O’ahu when she was 13. She likes to watch “American Dad” because she says the show makes her laugh, and that was exactly what she was doing before the interview began.

Though she currently lives in Aiea, she admitted that she really misses the cold weather of Indiana.

“I love it here, but I do miss the snow,” she said with a smile.