About
It would be hard to understate what an awkward child I was. I was pudgy, wore glasses, clumsy and accident prone, and didn’t know how to carry myself. My dad was essentially out of my life pretty early. He was an abusive, alcoholic, husk of a man.
My granddad, my mother’s father, was there and had a long term influence on my life, but early on I had no identity. As I grew, I became less awkward and looked to assert myself and find my identity.
I quickly associated with other kids who skipped class and smoked pot. most of them drew the line there. I pushed the line even further and began stealing anything that wasn’t nailed down, selling drugs, and breaking every rule I could.
I have since gone on to a few things. I was the first in my immediate family to graduate college. I earned my Masters degree.
I have been working on the front lines of reentry since 2016. I help men returning home from prison. We use evidence-based practices to help them change their thinking and have the thinking and emotional tools and skills to be successful. The coolest thing about this is that I get to use these same tools and experience as a husband, father, and coach.
My goal in life is to help other people live mentally healthy lives. I get to do that at work and then I get to do that with youth before they act out on the things I did when I was a teenager.
Ultimately, I want these kids to have opportunities and structure that I avoided or did not have. I want them to have tools and skills that I did not learn until later in life. I want them to get the best.