- I am from California, grew up in Orange County but have lived in the Central Valley and in the North Bay Area. I have also lived in Florida and Tennessee before moving to New York.
- I dropped out of college the first time when I was 20 due to not knowing what I wanted to do and not liking school. I went back eight years later starting at a junior college before graduating from Sonoma State University with my BA before getting an MPA. I ended up at the University of Florida for my Ph.D. in political science.
- Growing up in SoCal, I played little league and would go to Angels games to watch Reggie Jackson play, which is why after moving to New York, I am a Yankees fan. I have been to 10 Yankees games this season already, nine in the Bronx and one in Kansas City. Hopefully there may be an October game or two I can get to in the Bronx. I like baseball, and this summer I finally got to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
- I love comic books and am into all the superhero movies and shows inspired by them. Comic books have such a rich history steeped in diversity and real-life issues. Pop culture can teach us so much about our world. I’m also a big fan of fantasy books, too. I have been to New York Comic Con and will be going again in October.
- I worked in radio for several years as an on-air personality and public service director at an oldies station in Stockton, CA, and at a country station in Modesto, CA.
- After finishing my undergraduate degree, I worked for four years for a small business advocacy organization focused on federal procurement policies through the Small Business Administration. In this capacity, I lobbied members of Congress and the Administration - both the Bush Jr. and Obama administrations - on policy issues. I helped write bills that got introduced in the House and testified before the Senate Small Business Committee.
- When I went back to school, I fell in love with politics. This was during the 2004 election cycle, and I had so many questions about the George W. Bush administration, which is why I became a presidency scholar, to dig deeper into presidential power. I have been to six presidential libraries so far - FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, LBJ, Nixon, and Ford.
- We have a dog - Olive - who is a whippet mix, so she is really high energy. My kid wanted a dog for a long time, so for his 9th birthday, he wanted to raise money for an animal rescue shelter, which he did. Except you don’t go to an animal shelter to give them money and leave empty handed. Well played kid, well played.
- I enjoy cooking and baking. While I love sweets, I am not much of a sweet baker, but rather bake a lot of bread and bagels. Remember, to be a bagel, it must be boiled so don’t be fooled by bread shaped like a bagel. I also like watching cooking shows.
- After realizing at a young age that I lack the talent and ability for music, I enjoy music of all kind. I have been to hundreds of concerts and live shows. This summer I went to see Hozier, the Crane Wives, and the Saratoga Jazz Festival (hooray for Nora Jones!). I love jazz, especially 1940s and 1950s jazz. I’m also a fan of musicals with Hamilton (of course) and Hadestown being a couple of my favorites that I have seen on Broadway.
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