![\"Tajuana](\"http:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Tajuana-Stovall.jpg\")
<\/a>Portland is known for attracting a nomadic crowd. Here we are again at another interview and I am speaking to someone who has been – or lived all over – the place. Yet, they end up here, do they not?<\/span><\/p>\n Tajuana Stovall is one of those people. Whether it was Bend, or multiple places in California, she\u2019s hopped around the West (Best) Coast a bit and she\u2019s found her home. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy Portland story is full of endearing and funny memories,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n She once got \u201cfriendship married\u201d to one of her best friends. They invited all their friends to her friend\u2019s \u201cbig, beautiful, classic Portland Victorian 1900s home that we called \u2018The Hideout\u2019,\u201d as she puts it. She goes on to explain how they dressed the house in sheets and Christmas lights and held a fake wedding ceremony.<\/span><\/p>\n Sounds like just the thing a Portlander would do. <\/span><\/p>\n This all may sound silly, but could it be related to her profession as a nanny. She\u2019s been keeping watch over the little ones for over ten years now, and likely gets her boundless energy for the fun a bit from the kids she spends time with. <\/span><\/p>\n Still, she is very serious about what she does.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOver the years, I have held multiple positions with multiple families,\u201d she says, \u201chelping to raise kids from ages zero to ten; teaching them the best ways I believe a positive contributor to society should behave. I have a lot of important values that I share with my children.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Part of the values she takes such pride in instilling these children are many we can relate to as Portlanders. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI get the kids involved in a lot of local activities, such as recycling, planting trees; I teach them how to be kind, how to be thoughtful, how to consider others & the world, how to respect themselves & others; how to be a good person,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n Through it all, she runs a side gig managing social media marketing for several companies as well as spending time with her boyfriend, friends and family, who also live in Portland. <\/span><\/p>\n We could rattle off the Portlander activities she does – from disc golf to road trips and waterfall hikes. The point is, she fits right in.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOn any given day in PDX, I can walk past a man in drag, wearing a hula outfit, a pirate, a person in a bear suit, a bunch a scandal-y clothed individuals waiting in line for a show, a group of people riding tall-bikes, a person playing the trombone while riding a unicycle; & none of it is weird to me anymore,\u201d she assures us. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNothing is weird to me anymore,\u201d she says with finality.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s just what Portland does. It\u2019s what the city is all about, and if one person can appreciate it, it\u2019s Tajuana, proud to be a <\/span>PDX Person<\/a> doing her part to keep our city moving forward!<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is where I fell in love for the first time, where I met all of my best friends, where I found out who I am; Portland will always be my home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Click Here to Read More Articles on – People from Portland<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n William Bessette<\/strong> \u2013 PDX People Contributor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Follow William on: <\/strong> Facebook<\/a>\u00a0, Twitter<\/a>\u00a0 Connect with William on:<\/strong> LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n About\u00a0Tajuana Stovall<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
A Love For PDX<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>William Bessette is a journalist and freelance writer who has been covering politics, entertainment, culture and travel for over thirteen years. When he\u2019s not profiling Portland-area restaurants and residents, you can find him reporting on national and international travel and eco-tourism through his travel brand, <\/em><\/strong>Floppy Hat Adventures<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n