I was born in Leicester, England and moved to the United States when I was three. My father was the vice president of sales for a heavy equipment company and they asked him to expand the business. As a result, my mum, brother, myself, the dog, the cat, and the rabbit relocated to Southern California. I consider myself to be very blessed, as I have been raised with the customs of my English heritage and attended some of the finest schools in Southern California.
I grew up in Rancho Bernardo. Half the reason my parents moved to RB was because of the safety and the renowned Poway Unified School District. I attended Turtleback Elementary Bernardo Heights Middle School and Rancho Bernardo High School.
From a young age I knew I was looked up to as a leader, whether it be the captain of a sports team or by receiving high marks and honors in school. However, I often made a critical mistake. I became complacent and needed a challenge or added pressure to push me or make me rise to the occasion. Maybe that is why I did so well in Fire Academy and excelled in the fire service. However, initially it caused me a lot of work and money.
In middle school I had a 4.0 GPA and was able to attain it by doing the bare minimum. When I made the transition to high school, I failed my freshmen year based upon that mentality. I didn't adapt to the new circumstances, instead relied on old habits. However, as the pressure grew, so did my success and after attending summer school and a ridiculous amount of work, I was back at the top. I was now a successful high school student, graduating Rancho Bernardo with a 3.85 and was off to SDSU.
I entered SDSU in the fall of 2000 and thought that I could skate, literally, through this school with the same practices from high school. Turns out I was wrong. I was placed on academic probation my freshman year and almost kicked out of school based upon my failure to get a passing grade point average. It cost me a few thousand dollars and a year of my life.
The reason I am so honest is I believe my best success has come from failure. Consequently this has made me a better teacher. I tell my students that I went into SDSU as a business major, as my father wanted me to take over the family business. However, I did horrible in business courses. Truth be told, I struggled in Math and Economics. It wasn't until I met an amazing counselor at SDSU that I found my passion. This wonderful lady looked at my appalling freshman grades and saw that I did horrible in Business, but excelled in English. She supported me and helped me transition into a new major. In doing so, I was on the Deans List every semester and graduated with a degree and a fine GPA. It was at this point that I realized that as she guided me on the right path, I wanted to do the same.
As a fireman and a Training Captain for San Diego, I wanted to help open new doors for the future fire cadets. No one had ever supported me, like this counselor did at SDSU, and I wanted to make that difference. It was at this point that I decided to become an instructor for the fire service and help those on their journey. I am forever thankful for those that have supported me on my journey and only hope that I can do the same.
I grew up in Rancho Bernardo. Half the reason my parents moved to RB was because of the safety and the renowned Poway Unified School District. I attended Turtleback Elementary Bernardo Heights Middle School and Rancho Bernardo High School.
From a young age I knew I was looked up to as a leader, whether it be the captain of a sports team or by receiving high marks and honors in school. However, I often made a critical mistake. I became complacent and needed a challenge or added pressure to push me or make me rise to the occasion. Maybe that is why I did so well in Fire Academy and excelled in the fire service. However, initially it caused me a lot of work and money.
In middle school I had a 4.0 GPA and was able to attain it by doing the bare minimum. When I made the transition to high school, I failed my freshmen year based upon that mentality. I didn't adapt to the new circumstances, instead relied on old habits. However, as the pressure grew, so did my success and after attending summer school and a ridiculous amount of work, I was back at the top. I was now a successful high school student, graduating Rancho Bernardo with a 3.85 and was off to SDSU.
I entered SDSU in the fall of 2000 and thought that I could skate, literally, through this school with the same practices from high school. Turns out I was wrong. I was placed on academic probation my freshman year and almost kicked out of school based upon my failure to get a passing grade point average. It cost me a few thousand dollars and a year of my life.
The reason I am so honest is I believe my best success has come from failure. Consequently this has made me a better teacher. I tell my students that I went into SDSU as a business major, as my father wanted me to take over the family business. However, I did horrible in business courses. Truth be told, I struggled in Math and Economics. It wasn't until I met an amazing counselor at SDSU that I found my passion. This wonderful lady looked at my appalling freshman grades and saw that I did horrible in Business, but excelled in English. She supported me and helped me transition into a new major. In doing so, I was on the Deans List every semester and graduated with a degree and a fine GPA. It was at this point that I realized that as she guided me on the right path, I wanted to do the same.
As a fireman and a Training Captain for San Diego, I wanted to help open new doors for the future fire cadets. No one had ever supported me, like this counselor did at SDSU, and I wanted to make that difference. It was at this point that I decided to become an instructor for the fire service and help those on their journey. I am forever thankful for those that have supported me on my journey and only hope that I can do the same.