Daily Inspiration: Meet AngelCaprice Wright

Today we’d like to introduce you to AngelCaprice Wright.

Hi AngelCaprice, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am born and raised in Austin, Texas. I went to Zavala Elementary, Dobie Junior High, & Reagan High School. I got married right out of high school and moved to Houston for a few years. Long story short, he was the perfect man, older, and I was still mentally a kid; I was divorced by 22.

I moved back to Austin, met up with some old friends and we became the life of the party on 6th Street & the Warehouse District. I lived in a little cottage in Hyde Park, my landlords were Willie and Maurine Kocurek.

I was a preschool teacher who sometimes would sub for other grades at Ponderosa Elementary off Shoal Creek & Steck in Austin, Tx. I thought my life was perfect. I was happy, I loved my job, and my family was close by. If I ever needed anything they were just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

In 1995 my little sister confided in me that she was pregnant. I remember looking at her, she was still in high school, 11th grade. The look in her eyes was one of fear and uncertainty. She was scared to tell my mom and I knew she needed me. I reassured her she was not alone and that I would help her through it all. I decided that I would take care of the baby so she could finish high school, go to college, do what she needed to do. When she was ready, her baby would be safely in my care, waiting for her. My sister trusted me, and I knew in my heart that everything was going to be okay, and it was. On January 7, 1996, my precious niece Chelsea Celeste Hays was born.

Why was I willing to take on such a great responsibility amid me living my best life? Well, to be honest, I’m not sure. That’s what big sisters do, right? I had two other little sisters who I did a great deal for too. I suppose that’s the nurturer in me, but something about bringing a baby into our family spoke to my heart. If I could help in anyway, well, that’s just what I was going to do. I wasn’t ready for kids of my own as I was busy with my career but then this wasn’t something I planned for. Yet, I cared for her as if she was my own. I adored Chelsea and she never wanted for anything. She was such a well-behaved little girl with a kindness unmatched. We were born and raised Pentecostal and grew up in a church called The World of Pentecost located off of 51st St. in Austin, Tx. Like clockwork you could find us on Sundays and Wednesdays in service weekly.

This little girl was my world. I used to always play the movies Annie and Bambi. What’s funny is to this day, hearing the musical numbers in Annie, I can close my eyes and I am teleported back in time… I see a little girl with pigtails sitting in front of the television singing along to the music of the movie. I can remember thinking my gosh, it does not get better than this. I think it was Lana Del Rey who said, “When someone else’s happiness is your happiness, that is love.”, and I know I am a stickler for quotes, but my goodness if that is not the truth!

Like my mother, myself, and all my siblings to follow, Chelsea went to Zavala Elementary in East Austin. I remember her Pre-K class with her fabulous teacher Mrs.Joann Zaleski. Since this was my baby’s first time in school, I wanted to give her a birthday party, but Aunt Nini (what everyone called me) does not do things plainly. I hired Bonzo Crunch the Clown, spoke with the principal and the pre-K teachers, and decided to invite the whole school into the auditorium for a birthday party and magic show by Bonzo Crunch. That was Chelsea’s birthday party.  I Remember staying up till almost 4 in the morning making hundreds of SpongeBob party favors all by myself, and I was so proud. The show was a success,everyone was happy, and the festivities were finished with a cake and ice cream in her pre-k class. She was so happy as was I.

At the time I was doing some side work for my friend who was a manager at a sports bar club. I was doing voiceover commercials for their club and an occasional ad or two for special occasions or as needed. I was quite busy. People would see me on an advertisement, and they would get a hold of me and I would go shoot some photos for their company. They would use me in their ads and it was great easy money I did not have an agent at the time but the work load was something I could manage on my own.

Suddenly, life happened, and everything took a turn for the worse. Two months into 2003, I had some friends in from San Antonio and we were getting ready to go out. I was getting dressed and the phone rang; it was my mother. There was chaos in her voice, I’ll never forget it. I remember putting the blow dryer down and focusing on what she was saying, her words were, “They’re star flighting Chelsea to Brackenridge Hospital!” I remember I kept saying, “What happened?! What happened?!” but nothing was making sense and the call ended.

The urgency, distress and panic in my mom’s voice replayed in my head. I remember looking into the mirror, looking up at the ceiling and begging God.Begging for it to be a broken arm or a broken leg. Just begging him to make everything okay and not to take my little girl. She just turned seven four weeks before and my sister, her mother, had just given birth to Chelsea’s baby brother the last week in January. This girl had so much to live for and so many things that were going to happen for her.Plans were in motion for her to move with her mom and baby brother. She was so excited for this all and yet there I was unaware of the situation fully yet begging God to keep her safe. I got into my car and my phone rang again and before I could say, “I’m on my way!” my younger sisters words paralyze me with shock and disbelief, “She’s dead, Nini. She died.” To this day I don’t know how I got from my house to the hospital in downtown Austin. It seemed like a blink of an eye. I don’t remember parking; I don’t remember anything about the drive there. I do although remember calling our family friend Mr. Villaseñor from Mission Funeral home and I believe he was on vacation, but they said that they would relay the message and just like that. With those words, I remember I felt safe.

Approaching the emergency room doors, I stopped to catch my breath against a stop sign pole, and I remember holding onto it and it was like everything went quiet. I had never seen the sky so blue nor the grass and the trees so green. I seemed to notice everything. The birds flying above, life literally happening all around me, yet there I was frozen in time. I remember floating not walking, I can swear that I was floating to the entrance of the emergency room doors as they slid open, and I could hear the screams and cries of my family. I saw my brother-in-law covered in blood and all I could say was, “What the hell happened?”. It was like a dream. It was like I was looking at a movie and yet the most frightening part, I couldn’t walk out of. There was no escaping this scene. This was real. This was happening.

The death of a child can either break you or somehow awaken an understanding in you. An understanding that no matter how brief the moments were, you were blessed enough to experience them and even through immense grief, you must find it in yourself to carry on. I had to make a choice. I remember after Chelsea’s death I had a calendar that I was selected to be in, a few scheduled shoots and obligations that I had to complete because I had signed contracts, but all I wanted to do was just stay in bed. It took my hard-working fabulous Personal Trainer Dave Goodin from Hyde Park gym to help me push through this loss and keep moving.

I started volunteering at Brackenridge Children’s Hospital in the emergency department where she died. Went through all the classes and all the protocols to become a volunteer and volunteered at Safe Place, a battered women’s shelter. I remember I was back-and-forth from Los Angeles to Austin. I was working with Playboy golf where we were in tournaments in California and in tournaments here in Austin.

One of the reasons I stay busy and keep pushing is because I have seen how fragile this life is and I intend to live it.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
An opportunity arose, and I took it. In 2010, I sold my house off Denbar Ct. in Shady Hollow and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. I remember one of my last trips to Las Vegas right after Chelsea’s died. I was sitting on the edge of the bed in my suite at the MGM, facing the Red Rock mountains. One of my friends came into the room and drew back the curtains in front of me revealing mountains so majestic. I had been to Las Vegas numerous times, but only to party & have fun. I had never taken the time to notice the mountains. It was that day that I knew Las Vegas would be where I’d settle and live for a while.

I think I had three different agents while I was working in the industry in Las Vegas. Landing pretty cool gigs at Caesar’s Palace, Harrah’s, and one for Planey Hollltwood hotel & casino. We did great commercials, but after living there for a year my savings was dwindling so I called upon a friend of mine who hired me to work in one of his clinics and my journey in the skin care business evolved.

What was cool about working at Las Vegas Skin & Cancer Clinic is when I had an audition or a gig I was able to take off and go do my audition and come back to work. It’s pretty hard when you walk into an audition room that is full of people that look exactly like you, very discouraging, but nonetheless shapes you into being a better you. And when you didn’t get the gig at least you had another job that would keep the money coming in.

Then one day I’m watching television and a commercial comes on for a healthcare agency. I call the number and I was scheduled for an orientation. I go and meet with the agency’s personnel, complete a few classes, and start my new job as a Certified caregiver for the elderly trained in hospice care.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
It’s so funny because I’ve had a few jobs, just to see exactly where I fit in. Whether it was behind the desk at the plastic surgery office, assisting one of the doctors with a procedure, standing with a family while their loved one is in hospice care, volunteering in the emergency room at the hospital, helping my friends with their event at one of the most fabulous wedding venues in Texas, modeling gig for a cool advertisement, filming a commercial or being an extra in a movie. Truth is, I don’t fit in any one box. I enjoy doing what makes me happy and at times that looks different depending on the day. Though, no matter what job I am doing there are a few things I bring with me. I bring a very positive attitude, charisma, I bring helping hands, kindness, and most of all I bring a smile with an open heart.

I can truly and honestly say no matter what job I’ve had on my journey I’ve met the most amazing people who have let me be myself and many have become lifelong friends. I am so grateful for this.

So please feel free to reach out to me if you need some help getting your business noticed on social media, or in general. I’d be more than happy to help. Whether it’s a radio voiceover, photos, a fashion show, whatever you need, we’ll have fun creating magic together. I can’t wait to meet you.

Thank You so much for taking the time to read my interview. Have the most amazingly glorious day.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
First I would like to say, I thank God for the breath that I breathe, for the sight that I have, my limbs that work, my memory that is good, and the voice that I have. The good in me stems from my upbringing in the church, my beautiful great grandmother who adopted my mom, Angelita V.Diaz. She was from Piedras Negras, Mexico and was a non-denominational missionary. I spent most of my young childhood in her care. I guess that’s why I love being a geriatric care giver. Simply because from the moment I was born, I was around a senior and to me that was very natural and normal.

I also give credit to my mother; she instilled a strength in me that is still very present in everything I do today.

I give credit to my siblings, since I am the oldest,they have learned from my mistakes; thank God. I credit them for being the strong individuals they are now and for everything that our family has been through. We remain strong and I am so proud of them.

I give credit to the families that I’ve helped and worked with from Las Vegas to Texas. Some families I didn’t spend too much time with, others I did. Their role in my life was very important to me and the love I gave to their loved one, and what I took from that will live in my heart till my dying day.

I want to give credit to the pastors that keep me in your constant prayers, for that I’m grateful.

I would love to give credit to all my close friends who have stood by my side through thick and thin. Those who congratulate me on my accomplishments and those who support me in my downfalls. You know who you are. Currently, I would love to give credit to Marie, whom I help at her Medspa when she needs me. Kara and Lacie at one of the most beautiful local wedding venues in Texas, and Mane’NTail Equine and Mane’NTail Beauty for using me as one of their product influencers. To you all, I give my love and appreciation.

Again, I am just grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.AngelCaprice.com
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/angelcapricewright
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AngelCaprice
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/angelcaprice
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/angelMoewright
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/user_details?userid=W1JrXIcmdSzetCvhs6shMw&utm_source=ishare
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/AngelCapriceW7/ 

Image Credits
Photo Credits: David Mecey, Rae Celeste Diaz, CowgirlTuff Company/Lisa Bollin,