I've lived in Racine for over half of my life, and nearly all of my adult life. My family moved around a lot when I was a child, which gave me the opportunity to live in California (where I was born), Virginia, and even Saudi Arabia. Every year while I was living overseas we made an annual trip back home to Racine, and on the way we visited several countries, one year we'd visit Japan and the next year we'd travel to Italy. It was an unusual childhood, but I'm certainly thankful I had the experiences I did.

When we were living in Racine I attended Unified. For 3rd grade through 5th I went to Wind Point Elementary. We returned to Racine when I entered 7th grade and I attended Jerstad for a time. The next time I lived in Racine was at the start of my junior year in high school and my parents sent me to Prairie, where I graduated in 1996. I then attended and graduated UW - Parkside with a BA in History.

Since then I've gotten myself involved with local government and politics as a volunteer. I became involved with issues in the school district and ran for the school board. I didn't win, but the impact I made spurred me on to become more involved. I was apponted to the Caledonia Parks and Recreation Commission in 2009 and together with the other commissioners I have worked to provide the services residents expect despite a much reduced budget.