Although I was born in the US, my mother was an immigrant from the Philippines. She had instilled her values of working in the best way possible with little means to do so into me. I've been working since I was 15 years old. My family didn't have the financial means to get me through college, so I had to work at Norfolk airport pushing passengers in wheelchairs while in college. With little time to focus, I had to drop out of college and became an unlicensed Merchant Mariner. After doing this for 1.5 years, I saved some money and decided to take a second attempt at finishing college. College was a struggle and I found the best way for me grasp math was to become immersed in it. I took a job as a math tutor at Tidewater Community College and worked as many hours as possible. As a person who struggled with math, I had empathy with people that struggled and was able to figure out how to explain concepts in a way that people could relate with. Students were grateful for my tutoring and I eventually developed a good foundation in math. In December 2011, I graduated from Old Dominion University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. I spent 3 years paying off my student loans. After struggling with paying debt, I have made a commitment to coach young people about making wise financial decisions. I married my wife Nama Eljabaly in 2012 and we have 5 children together. We decided to have a modest wedding so that we could utilize our finances to place a downpayment on our first home. Currently I have a career at Eaton that is focused on the Energy Transition away from fossil fuels. I enjoy applying my experience with power technology to a cause that is beneficial for the greater society. Even so, I still have a desire to help people at the individual level. I find that this project enables me to apply my career skills in a way that can touch people's lives. Not any people though, I can have an impact on the people that need help the most and have the smallest voice. I am a lifelong learner and so I started working on my MBA at NC State University in 2020. I will complete this by the Winter of 2025. My hope is that the MBA will enable me to become a more effective communicator so that I can vocalize my innovative ideas.