Bria recalls working...

Bria Jeurgen was acutely aware of the poverty that they found themselves in after her father left. Even after moving into the trailer park, money was tight and Bria was sensitive to the fact that, though she was pretty and popular, she was also poor. No doubt part of her interest in beauty pageants was the opportunity to temporarily escape into the fantasy of wealth, fame and sophistication; her ultimate ambition was nothing less than a change in status.

The charming and beautiful young woman did what she could to supplement the household income. At first Bria tried babysitting, but the neighbors didn't go out much. She had more success performing odd jobs for Mr. Harar, the Somali who collected the monthly rent on behalf of the landlord and superintendent of the trailer park. Bria's relationship with Mr. Harar also helped ensure they weren't evicted when they couldn't make ends meet.

In the summers, Bria put her charm and strong swimming skills to work as a lifeguard at a resort up on Lacaucoq, about an hour's drive from Norville. Some of her favorite memories were of the long summer days skinny-dipping, kissing boys and sometimes working.

After being named Miss Teen Minnesota, her new step-father Jerry Ross got her a job working as a waitress at Dixie's, his truck-stop diner out by the freeway. It was mostly a publicity ploy: Jerry positioned life-sized photos of Bria by the door, one of her beaming while posing in a bikini, the other while she basks in newly-crowned glory. The job itself did not require cleaning tables or delivering heavy plates of food, but mostly taking orders, wearing a tight-fitting and low-cut peasant top dress, and flirting with customers.

Bria's last job while in Minnesota was her first tentative steps into show-business: modelling and working as a spokeswoman for local products and businesses. She quickly realized that she could make more money by showing off her body and telling people what they wanted to hear.