Service Array:
Individual Skill Development and Enhancement
I was born and raised in Iowa. I didn’t have the best parental guidance growing up and suffered severe child abuse from my drunken father. At school I struggled with fitting in and faced bullying on a regular basis. The only role model I had was a farmer that would come and take me out of my situation as much as possible. I was taught how to work at an early age and learned what a good work ethic was. When My father died my mother didn’t want that frustration of raising a child, so I got placed in a foster home. By the time I turned 18 I had no desire to go to college, so I joined the Army and became a medic.
My time in the Army instilled core values that I try to implement in my daily life today. After my last deployment in 2008, I was committed into a psychiatric hospital where I was diagnosed with a mental health disorder. I have had a few scrapes with the law because I reacted poorly to certain situations, and I have struggled with alcoholism for years. Today I am able to celebrate 5 years of being completely sober.
I am currently attending Chippewa Valley Technical College for my associate’s degree in criminal justice. I have a deep love for the outdoors and also for wildlife. I also love working out and have tackled my demons through sweat and steel. I never back down from a challenge. I firmly believe that if something doesn’t challenge you it won’t change you, I have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by individuals recovering from trauma and addiction. As a survivor of both child abuse and military-related PTSD, I have experience navigating the complexities of healing and growth.