Growing up, I had dreams of becoming an athlete, but an unexpected incident took me in a totally different direction than I could have ever imagined… I always wanted to be a football player for as long as I can remember. I started in Pop Warner and played all the way through high school. The longer I played, the more I wanted it, and I was 100% focused on making it happen. Not only was I passionate about the sport, but I excelled at it. I spent some time on defense, but my main position was running back. By the time I got to be in my mid-teens, several prominent college football programs were already interested in giving me a scholarship to play for them. My life was set. I was on my way to achieving my dream. Then I got hurt. A neck injury. It was not life threatening, so I elected not to have surgery, but my football career was over. I was devastated. I struggled with losing the dream that I had worked so hard for so long to accomplish. It was a dark time for me following my injury. For the first time in my life, I was without a direction and before long, I turned to drugs and alcohol and came close to not graduating. Thankfully my Mom and Dad were there to help me get back on track. Even though my playing days were over, my parents wanted me to go to college after high school. I thought about it, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do at the time. I wasn’t ready. I decided if I couldn’t pursue my dream of playing football, then I wanted to follow my other passion - traveling. So, instead of going to college, I joined the United States Navy to see the world, and it totally changed my life. I learned that when one door closes, another opens. My first duty assignment was on the USS INDEPENDENCE- CV 62 in Yokosuka, Japan. I enjoyed it because it was so different than where I grew up in Southern California. I realized that I had made the right choice. After my time in Japan, I was assigned to other ships as well as shore duty. I had a great time, but I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my future. I had some cousins who were officers in the Los Angeles Police Department, so I considered leaving the military after eight years to join my family on the force. A chief, who was one of my mentors at the time, advised me to try Security Forces in the Navy to see if I enjoyed law enforcement before I got out. I was almost halfway to retirement. I was happy being a Sailor. I decided to give it a shot. Following my chief’s advice, I changed my occupation to Security Forces, which is called a Master at Arms in the Navy. The standards were high to even get into the training. They only took the best of the best, and I made it. That’s where I spent the rest of my career, until I retired in 2016 as a Senior Chief after 22 years of service. My last assignment before I got out was shore duty in San Diego, California. I wanted to start planning for my future, so I earned my real estate license in 2013. I had a couple of buddies in the Navy who were in the field, and they really enjoyed it. I also wanted to help my fellow service members pursue their dreams of home ownership, so I went for it. Besides joining the Navy, real estate is one of the best life decisions I have ever made. Football was my dream when I was a kid and I never predicted my life would go in this direction, it goes to show that everything really does happen for a reason. Now I realize that everything that I have been through has led me to where I am today. The competitiveness and focus that I had as a young athlete with a dream, and the discipline and leadership that I learned in the Navy are huge assets to my career as a realtor. But the biggest lesson that I learned from my past experiences is how to treat people. I see being a REALTOR® as very similar to being a Senior Chief in the Navy. My job is to take care of my clients, the same way I did with my sailors. I am here to protect their interests, to empower them to make the right decisions and to guide them towards achieving their goals and dreams! To me, there is nothing better than that! Thank you for taking the time to learn about me and my life. I would love nothing more than to share my experience and knowledge to assist you with your real estate needs, so I hope that you will allow me the opportunity to demonstrate my services and interview for the job.