Growing
up nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on a ranch deep in
the center of New Mexico, I would venture into the wilderness looking for ancient artifacts,
arrowheads, pottery and various items that would become uncovered after
the summer rains. Growing up as close to a National Park as I did, I wanted to know and learn more about what I found and the story behind the artifacts. Therefore, I began my journey volunteering my time
helping take care of our natural resources at a local National Park.
I signed up in 1993 at the National Park, focused on the Quarai Ruins, one of
three sites at the Salinas Pueblo Mission National Monument's. I was
issued a park volunteer uniform and name tag. Shortly after, my name was
engraved onto a golden name plate where all the parks volunteers were honored
at the Park Headquarters. That may not seem like a huge accomplishment to most, but as a teenager, that was a stepping stone like none other.
I spent countless summer days working between
the three sites; giving tours, upkeep and sales of products in their small
store. One
summer, I had the opportunity to hover over an anthropologist
exploration group who did excavations on sections of the earth covered pueblo mounds. It
was truly incredible to see the history buried beneath the centuries of
dirt that had blown over and covered the landscape. More incredible
than that was knowing that this Indian pueblo could not have been built
and in existence if there was not a plan, a vision, a leader to execute
the feat.
There, my journey began and I have many people to thank that have helped me understand and look beyond what my mind could imagine, both personally and professionally.
As
I continued to volunteer at the park, my local church, and work during my high school years, I always
visioned myself doing something out of the ordinary. I wasn't sure what that meant
at the time. However, little did I realize that 8 years later, my
journey would end up in the great city of Chicago, 1,300 miles away from
the ranch.
My
wife Kolani and I moved up to Chicago in 2001. Since then, we've
settled in the remote corn fields of the western suburbs. We have 2
dogs (Sam and Sara) and enjoy a modest life style, work hard and push
hard to continue achieving our goals.
I've
volunteered my time at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington
where I served as a lighting director for several years for the high
school age group. During my tenure, I've also served with video and
stage teams during main stage events.
