It is my personal belief that life experiences, along with upbringing, define who we become as productive or non-productive members of society. I also believe that being a productive or non-productive member of society is subjective to the individual person.

    There have been many instances that have helped define my character and ideals. One such characteristic that has been developed, and partially instilled, into my mind is the concept of a team working together for a greater goal.

   While being raised on Long Island, I was born into a farming family. Our farm, which was considered large for long island, was mainly producing eggs and Christmas trees. However, large areas of fruit and vegetable growth took time to care and maintain. From a young age, I was told that the success of the family unit came before individual goals. This upbringing of working before school and helping the family instilled this attitude into my mind.

   When I first started in athletics, which is traditionally an individually focused sport, I bought into that concept or individualist worth over all else. My high school track and field coach showed me, through a series of demonstrations, that if one member fails, the entire unit fails. He showed me that I could only perform so well on my own without the help of my peers, coaches, and support staff. My high school coach, John McCree, showed me this by placing me on one of our sprint relay teams without any training. Coach McCree told me that the only way that the team would be successful is for all four members to be successful. That year I was assigned to be the anchor, the fourth and final sprinter, but I never was able to run. Our team lined up and our second sprinter dropped the baton when attempting to transfer the baton to our third sprinter. One link failed and four persons suffered. Coach McCree taught me that the purpose I had was to be my best, for my team.

     I took those teaching from my family and from Coach McCree to applying those in my collegiate career as well as my professional career. I was a member of a very successful track and field team at LSU and would not have been able to succeed without my teammates. I also used this personality trait in choosing a career path in law enforcement. The concept of team, for my colleagues and I, turned from being successful at sport to relying on others to keep me alive.