I was born in Redding California. My parents adopted me and a year later we moved to Utah because my dad was offered a job at BYU. I grew up in a family where all three kids were adopted, as my parents weren’t able to have children either. We realized we were a different family but we embraced it. My parents always taught us that it is not only ok to be different, but that we should be proud of the fact.
I was shy growing up. My idea of fun was staying at home playing video games instead of going outdoors and getting dirty like most other kids. I don’t remember much up until middle school other than some family vacations. We would go to Disneyland almost every year because we enjoyed it so much. I think we stopped going because my sister was getting too old for it.
I remember going on other vacations like a cruise to Mexico and going to DisneyWorld and those are memories I’ll cherish. I also remember high school being full of ups and downs. I had things that I could count on like weight training and homework. Then there were other unexpected events in my family that I would rather not experience again. It was a hard time for all of us because it seemed like everyone had their “thing” that they were dealing with. Unfortunately, instead of bringing us closer together, it somewhat strained my family.
I was promised that if I served faithfully, my family would be blessed to come together and they did. The difference with them was amazing after I got back and I was grateful that we were doing better.
I immediately met Ami after coming home and we became best friends. I finally decided to major in Information Systems. I received my Master's Degree from Brigham Young University April 2012. I completed one year of a PHD program at the University of Utah before deciding I wanted to work in the industry rather than academics. I work as an Outcomes Analyst at Intermountain Health Care.
