As a long time movie buff, booknerd, and one drawn to the humanaties, I've always been drawn to stories. They are powerful things and can change the world. It is also the very thing we write with every choice we make. So here is mine from a beginning.....
1999 -
I failed my first semester of college due to writing "I am a failure" before even giving it a try. Funny how often that happens that our narratives lock us in our shells and limit the growth we can obtain. My shell bounced around with every whim and change of winds. I stopped creating. I worked in IT. I was a long time projectionist just running other's stories. I got on disability. I struggled with addiction. I wished for answers. I found none in my shell. I continued to give up before even fully trying. And I was just the outcome.
2011 -
I stopped writing myself in when someone handed me a better pen and convinced me to give my academics another try. I enrolled at VWCC as a nontraditional student uncertain of the pathway but knowing it was an option. And I did the hard thing instead of patching the cracks in the shell and hiding in the outcome. From then on, I saw not only the impact of education on one's own self but also the world around us and our relation to it. It is a great and empowering force to seek for understanding, be challenged to reconcile uncertainty, and to learn how to adapt when things are hard. I saw the change when I stopped patching and wondered what more could there be.
2014 -
I started working with student clubs as an officer which lead to a role with Student Activities helping others get excited about connecting with others. I then started working the fitness center and the student workers carrying the question what more can I do to help others in their growth and betterment.
2015 -
I started Virginia Tech with Psychology and their honors college while working along side VWCCs records, enrollment and financial aid team. Unraveling the knotball of even getting started can be a beast but being able to hand the strands and give a ToDo list made all the difference for me so wanted to help others with the same.
2018 -
I am became a New Student Advisor helping get people started on their chosen pathways and giving them a guide map. The first step was always the hardest and I was glad to be there to help them more confidentally make their next. I also met my wife with my new pen in hand and finally was able to write a story of "Us".
2020 -
I became an Program Advisor for the Liberal Arts and Social Sciences helping folks on their journey as a guide. Life happens when you are trying to focus on school but having someone there as your journey through helped me to be at my best even when I wasn't.
2024 -
I took a side quest as a TRIO Student Support Professional helping those from often under resourced backgrounds continue their journey. Being from a similiar background as many who are eligible for TRIO, this was a valuable time that left me with plenty of lessons of the different challenges we all face but the strength we can have within them when someone says "Yeah....its hard but we can do this.".
Which I guess brings me to now....
This page is a reminder where I've come from. It was inspired by the work of Thomas Frank and Derek Shivers. Last updated 12/10/25.