I grew up in inner city Detroit after my family migrated from the Deep South in the 1950s for a shot at a better life. My parents worked union jobs their entire lives to provide for their family and build a life from practically nothing. Without their incredible hard work and sacrifices, and the benefits fought for and earned by unions, I would not be where I am today. They taught me the value of labor rights early on: my first exposure to politics was on the picket lines with my parents.

While still in college, I joined the Air National Guard and became the sixth generation of my family to serve our country as a member of the U.S. military. I was deployed to Iraq in 2005, and served under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during a time when gays in the military were still marginalized and treated as second class citizens. Upon returning, I completed college at Kent State University, graduating with a degree in Political Science, later completing a Master of Public Affairs Degree at UC-Berkeley and studies in Constitutional and Antitrust Law at UCLA.

In 2008, I heard then-Senator Barack Obama speak at a community event and was immediately drawn to his message of hope and change, and his pledge to protect our environment by transitioning away from fossil fuels and to renewable energy. I joined the Obama campaign as an organizer in 2008 and would go on to serve as a member of the Obama Administration, working at the White House and the Department of Energy helping to launch a program to transition veterans into the clean energy sector.

I’ve now lived in Los Angeles for ten years, working with the Vet Voice Foundation and with the Sierra Club to help protect the San Gabriel Mountains and ending urban oil drilling. I have taught courses in political science at UCLA and UC Berkeley. I also served as an administrator at UCLA and helped run a center to boost diversity in the STEM fields. In 2016, I was proud to campaign with Senator Bernie Sanders on a statewide ballot proposition to bring down the costs of prescription drugs.