Like many in Terrebonne Parish, my family lived through the boom and bust cycles of the oil and gas industry. My hard-working parents struggled to provide the basics for us. They made too much money to qualify for government assistance, so we lived check to check. Being poor lead to being bullied, and that kind of bullying could have defined me. But then I found football, and it changed my path in everyway you can think of. Football started a journey for me that took me from the object of being bullied to being voted homecoming king and on to playing college football. I was only the second out of my 80 cousins that was able to attend college. Unfortunately, an injury ended that path, and I was forced to leave college, but I left inspired. I entered the workforce to earn a living and provide for myself, and within ten years, I opened my first business. I fought my way up the ladder and through blood, sweat, tears learned the technology industry and how to run a business. I have achieved success using hard work and dedication. I thrive on helping others achieve the opportunities I didn’t have because I understand the struggle. I don’t have all the answers on every single issue that plagues our parish, but I know what Terrebonne can be, and I know how to build the talented teams we need to make this a better place to live…for all of us.