I grew up in Jesup, Georgia on a Christmas Tree Farm founded, owned and operated by my family. Because of that experience, I enjoy farming, gardening, animal husbandry and similar outdoor activities. I was homeschooled until my senior year in high school. Homeschooling gave me much freedom in the area of studies, and I devoured reading books, both academic and for pleasure. If you saw me in those years, I would most likely have a thick book in my hands and two or three beside me.
When I wasn’t reading or hunting, another activity I enjoyed during the summers was competitive swimming. My favorite stroke was the butterfly but I was best at freestyle. I was very active in 4-H in public speaking and became a Master 4-Her in Olympic recurve archery, for which I competed statewide for 8 years and eventually represented my state in the National 4-H competition to win second place as a team overall and 9th individually. All those things were fun, but I would have to say that the most important part of my life is my faith in Jesus Christ. I grew up in my local Baptist church and when I was around 12, I became a believer in Jesus Christ. My faith has been a driving force on my life since that time.
In my senior year of high school, I duel enrolled in a local college, which was my first exposure to the college experience. After graduation from high school in 2013, I attended Georgia Southern for four years for my Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I had the opportunity to undertake two engineering internships and three Co-op rotations during my time in school, further confirming my choice of a career. During college, I was blessed with being able to assist with teaching a class for freshmen, and as part of that class I went on an alternative spring break trip to San Jose, Costa Rica. This trip ignited my passion for international travel, and I ended up taking a study abroad trip the summer of 2016 to Buenos Aires, Argentina where I studied Spanish. Upon completion of my degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Business Minor in Fall 2017, I traveled to Australia and visited places like Ayers Rock, the Great Barrier Reef, and Sydney.
Prior to graduation, I accepted an offer at Southern Nuclear, the company I co-oped for and have been working as a fire protection engineer at Hatch Nuclear Station since that time. I enjoy what I do; this job is unlike any other I have had in the variety of the work assignments from day to day. I am always learning something new and that is what makes this job exciting. Fire protection is something that I never even thought about prior to my co-op experience but now I can see it everywhere I go. Because fire protection is part of people’s daily lives whether they realize it or not, I really feel like I can make a difference in my role and that is what will continue to get me up in the morning.