Director – Karina Fisher

As a young child I spent many, many hours playing in the Little Patuxent River which ran behind our first home as a family in Howard County. Living in River Island Apartments offered all the amenities a child could ever dream of. When I wasn’t splashing around in the river, I was walking with friends to the Mom and Pop’s candy shop or to Ma’s Kettle for the best fries and gravy, and lemon meringue pie one could ever imagine…..everyone who knows Savage, knows about Ma’s Kettle!

In my adolescent years, my interest in the equestrian world kept growing. Lucky for me, since Howard County ranks among the top 10 in number of horses and horse farms!

My birthday gifts of Breyer model horses transitioned to riding lessons at Columbia Horse Center. After a few months, I was hooked. If I wasn’t in school, I was at the barn. Those years of mucking stalls, waking up at 5am to feed and water the horses, training and teaching lessons, getting hurt and learning how to recover both physically and mentally, are where I learned the most about hard work, how to work in teams, the thrills of a win, the tragedies of injury, how truly magnificent horses are, and about myself.  

Once married, I knew that I wanted to remain in Howard County to raise a family. It was my childhood that anchored me here. After living in various parts of the County, my husband and I decided that for us, Ellicott City was where we wanted to land for the long run. In our older, established neighborhood, there is just enough land for a little privacy, beautiful tree lined streets where the colors of fall burst like a Vincent van Gogh masterpiece, and the convenience of being centrally located within the County to where no commute for needs or wants is excessive. It is our perfect!

What I have learned in my decades of living here, is that everyone’s perfect, and everyone’s quality of life is not protected by, nor will last, in our silence. We must use our voice! 

The moment I received the 2018 HCCA’s Advocate of the Year Award was one where I realized for the first time that my determined voice was not just speaking for myself, or just for my family, but that it was also speaking for others who love this County the way I do. Testifying in front of the Delegation, the County Executive’s office, the County Council, and the Board of Education took on a bigger meaning.

Now, years after receiving that unexpected recognition, I am still using my voice. It is with honor that I join the HCCA Board and those who have been doing the same!