All right. Where am I from? I am from St. Louis, MO. The first few years of my life were spent on The Hill, which is a neighborhood within St. Louis, MO and has a heavy heavy emphasis on Italian culture. If you’re ever in St. Louis and you need a place to go eat or shop you don’t have to look too much farther than The Hill. There’s a lot of good stuff there!
Right around the age of three or four, my family and I moved to a suburb 25 miles West of downtown called Fenton and that house is still in my family today. Not much to brag about in Fenton specifically other than it holds a lot of my childhood memories and there is a lot of Parks and Recreation.
My parents were very involved and a huge influence on me growing up. They both worked really hard but stayed very present at the same time. They wanted the best opportunities for my brother and I, but they did not spoil us to the point where we felt entitled to something.
My childhood taught me a lot but mostly taught me that you are who you surround yourself with. I know I’m not perfect, but I’ve always found myself around great people whether it was by chance or choice. Without that in my life, those great circles of individuals, I wouldn’t have been afforded the opportunity to major in Education and play baseball for Oklahoma State University, which has been one of the best experiences in my life. One I’m still benefiting from today.