When I was growing up, I was no stranger to struggle. I grew up on a farm in upstate New York. My family tried to make ends meet despite policies that threatened small operations in the dairy industry. I can relate to the dairy industry in Lebanon County, because this happened to them in 2018. Later, my family was devastated by my father’s injuries from a car accident that occurred as he drove home from his second job. This job was vital as our family depended on it, to save our dairy. This early experience planted a seed for politics, and throughout the rest of my life, I had an eye toward policies and the people they affect. After a personal injury prevented me from enlisting in the Navy ROTC aviation program, I went to school to become a veterinarian. By the time I reached retirement, I had operated various clinics, rehabilitation practices and imaging centers all in South Central Pennsylvania.