 In my 16 years since I've been in, there's been a lot of ups and downs as far as the military is concerned. I went to my first ship, which was an aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71, and that was a great experience because when I got there, that's when I started singing the national anthem and anything that had to do with the uplifting of America-type songs at all kinds of events. Now I'm here on board the Preble and I'm a whole leading petty officer. I'm up for chief and it's just really been a mix of emotions, but mostly exciting ones. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, I can remember my mother calling me into the living room from outside and there was so many people packed in our house just for me to sing. She's always very, very proud of me wanting to do new things and try to accomplish something and she always kind of really babied my emotions for what I wanted to do, so I was like, yeah, you can do it. Go ahead. Push for it. I always had a cheerleading squad. After high school, I was reading the newspaper one day and it just said, travel, meet new people, accelerate your life, join the Navy, and then I said, you know what, I just felt something in my heart, I just felt something, you know, and it kind of took me back to the kids in my neighborhood who didn't quite have a chance and maybe if I joined then I could meet people and help them have a chance and then they could meet people and help them have a chance. I have a feeling that music is like a healer, you know, you can listen to a song and it can take you somewhere, no matter where you're feeling. It's almost like a medicine, it can help you. And so I write songs that come from my heart on the inside and I truly believe that if someone listens to one of these songs it could help whatever they're going through. I really aspire to have my music heard on large platforms. It's not so much about the financial part, but I really believe I can change a life with just one song.