Milestones

My road in life has taken me all over.
I joined the Army and left for basic training the week after I graduated from high school.
I got out and was almost immediately unhappy; I got a divorce and decided to leave Louisiana.
I moved back in with my parents and fell into a depression until I finally sought help at the VA.
I took a leap of faith, packed up everything I owned, and moved across the country to California.
I spent time at a community college, then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley.
Graduating from UC Berkeley is one of my proudest achievements to date.
I made connections at the Sierra Club and secured my current position, working with my fellow vets.
Now that I've integrated into civilian life, I'm trying my best to help other vets do the same.
Keep following my journey

Career

Military and Veteran Coordinator

I help service members, vets, and their families gain the confidence to lead in the outdoors.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Environment & Nature
Entrepreneurship
Helping People

Day to Day

I recently spent five days kayaking an Alaskan river with a few fellow vets, just hanging out, talking about life, being active, learning, and living off of the land...and that was "work!" A couple of these vets were a few years ahead of me in their transition out of the military, so it was a mutually beneficial experience—I had a lot to teach these guys about the outdoors, and they had a lot to teach me about post-military life. Plus, working in the Alaskan outdoors? You can't beat that.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for professionals

If you have a general idea of what you want to do, put yourself out there and network. I originally thought I was going to work for a government agency after I got my degree, but as I got further and further into my studies, my plans changed. A park ranger position had always seemed like a good idea, so I started plotting out how I could make that happen instead. In the end, it all came down to me using my connections and doing an informational interview with the man who would become my boss.

Recommended Education

My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:

undergrad
Bachelor

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Teachers:

"You're not smart enough to get into UC Berkeley."