Thea was born on December 6, 1983 in Little Rock. At age 17, Thea was already an accomplished artist, actress, writer and dancer. She also loved the game of soccer and was an outstanding player in the sport.

Thea was a student leader. She served in Student Council, and had been selected as a delegate to Arkansas Girls State. She had been active in the campaigns of former President Bill Clinton. Thea was a member of "The Stars", a peer leadership organization that helped tutor and mentor elementary school students in the community.

Her most active volunteer involvement in recent years had been as an advocate for MADD, having just been a presenter at the Arkansas Teen Summit on Alcohol in April.  She was featured on a national public service announcement for MADD, and addressed the Arkansas State Legislature in January with a skit honoring the Arkansas State Police for their work in drunk driving prevention.

Thea was awarded posthumously in Dallas, Texas the National Youth Advocate Award by the National Organization of MADD in September, 2001.

Active in her church, Thea was a member of the Fellowship Student Ministries and participated as a student leader in small group meetings. She especially enjoyed outings and retreats with the youth group at Castle Bluff, a Christian camp in Newton County, where she would volunteer as a counselor.  She took great pride in being “in the right place at the right time” for someone.

Thea was a talented creative writer, and participated in speech and drama competitions. She won awards for her original poetry, and also wrote dramatic scenes and monologues. Thea loved art and had recently completed an impressive portfolio of original paintings and drawings. She had been asked to be the 2001-2002 art editor of the school newspaper, "The Focus." She was also selected to be a member of Senior Studio, an advanced art class for seniors.

People who knew her describe her as a vivacious person with natural tendencies to make people feel special just from the wonderful things that she said and did.