My Story. My Voice.

“I’m a laid back kind of guy, in a mixed up kind of world!”

These are lyrics to one of my favorite songs, and they describe me perfectly! When you’re from a city like Chicago, life can move so fast it can make your head spin! But when you are an easygoing guy like me, keeping your cool amongst the madness is essential. It’s not hard to find the beauty in things and people that have a rough exterior if you first embrace the beauty that lies within you. This is my path I have chosen to maintain my inner peace!

I wasn’t always this cool, calm, and collected. Although I was always one of the biggest kids amongst my peers, I was very shy and insecure, mostly because of my speech impediment. So I always hid in the background to avoid being ridiculed.

Despite having trouble speaking, I was very talented. I could sing, was good at football, and had a strong passion for acting! And, there was this still soft voice inside me pushing me out front to share my talents and gifts with others. However, I ignored it most of the time because I was afraid. I was afraid of not being able to get through the lines without stuttering. And there was always that one kid who couldn’t help but make fun of my speech impediment. So when I did have a chance to shine on stage, I would drop out. Like the time I dropped out of my kindergarten play because of fear, despite how badly I wanted to perform.

As I became older, during high school, I started gaining more confidence. So after the Chicago Bears won the 1985 Super Bowl, I developed this strong interest to play football. I was able to overcome my fear and tried out for my high school team. And much to my surprise, I made the team! All that hidden talent came out, my confidence continued to grow so much that I was a key player in the Senior All-Star game.

However, it didn’t stop there! I went on to play college football at Trinity College (Deerfield IL). And things kept getting better and better. My head college football coach was Leslie Frazier, a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears! The same team that inspired me to play football!  I worked hard and grew as a player and became team captain.

Ever since then I have strived to listen to my inner voice more and more. I have learned to embrace myself, flaws and all, and just live my life with passion and no fear!  I am now an actor, singer, and an accomplished IT professional.