Below is a historical timeline, which includes key experiences and decisions that have contributed to my personal evolution.
1978-1981 (5-8 years old)
In K through 3rd grade I attended a different school every year, which is due to school closures and the national bussing program. I became very independent, but I struggled socially and academically. At one point, teachers discuss the possibility of holding me back due to failing grades.
1982-1984 (9-11)
In 4th grade I am given an IQ test and accepted into
Isely Alternative School, which is the city's school for students with "exceptional abilities". The curriculum fosters creativity and builds self-confidence. By 6th grade, after 3 years at Isely, I am self-confident and achieving national test scores in the 99th percentile. It is a testament to the power of quality education.
I am in the honors program in middle school, but my grades become inconsistent. I am back in a traditional academic setting, and my grades steadily decline. Even with falling grades, my test scores get me admitted into the city's gifted program for high school students.
1988 (15)
I am placed in the city's
International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Wichita High School East. The IB program is "internationally recognized as one of the most rigorous college-preparatory curricula".
I take my first college course during the summer, as a visiting high school student at Wichita State University (WSU). It is a math course, and I fall in love with math and become inspired by the college academic environment.
1990 (17)
By my senior year I am completely disinterested in high school life, and my grades have fallen. I am eager to start college, so I graduate early and enroll at the University of Kansas for the second half of my senior year.
1993 (20)
I get married, we have our first child, and I drop out of school to work full-time and take care of my family. I get a construction job were I meet people working in telecom, which leads to a series of jobs doing telecom installation and sales.
1995-1996 (22-23)
I get a job for the
WSU Telecom Department. The university job allows me to combine school and work. Upon returning to school, I take my first philosophy course and change my major to Philosophy.
I get divorced and I have the kids Monday through Friday. I am going to school full-time, so I get a job at a preschool to be around my kids while working. I also become a vegetarian, based on health, ethical, environmental, and social reasons.
2001 (28)
After 10 years, I finally finish my undergraduate degree - a major in Philosophy and minor in Math. Unfortunately, there is a global recession, so I can't find a better job. I keep the job at my kid's preschool and enroll in graduate school.
2005 (32)
I complete a Master's in Sociology. My degree track is social statistics, which focuses on the use of
IBM's SPSS statistical analysis software to analyze large data sets.
I decide that fashion is a waste of my time and money, so I adopt a simple, minimalist wardrobe. It reduces my time spent on fashion to zero and minimizes my annual clothing budget to less than $100 per year.
2013 (40)
I decide that having a hairstyle is a waste of my time and money, so I buy a set of clippers, shave my head, and create a routine of cutting my hair once a week. It reduces my time spent on hair to 5 minutes per week and the cost to $0.
2018 (45)
After rasing 2 kids and building a successful career in real estate, I decide that it is time for a change. I make plans to sell my real estate ventures in Wichita and move to Denver. Denver is the largest city within a half day's drive of my family and friends in Wichita.
2019 (46)
In Denver I start a nonprofit called the
Civic Health Coalition (CHC). CHC focuses on adapting my housing model to create a prototype for nonprofit affordable housing.
I spend 2020 in COVID self-isolation. During that time I study homelessness, housing, computer programming, and artificial intelligence (AI). I see a lot of potential applications for programming and AI in housing research, analysis, and development.
2021 (48)
After getting vaccinated, I decide to give away everything I own, move into my Prius, and travel the country to learn about homelessness and housing development efforts across the U.S. I start a
YouTube Channel to document the experience.
I spend a year in Silicon Valley studying advanced programming and AI, so I can build better tools for housing research and development. I combine my real estate development experience and new tech tools to create
Amenity Suites.