I was originally born in Oakland, California and lived there until I was in the second grade. My parents decided to move away from the fast paced life of the bay area and move to a small town called Nevada City. While there, I attended middle school and high school. I consider Nevada City my home because I have spent the most time there and have the largest concentration of friends there. One thing that was really neat about the area was that we would always get snow each year. Usually it was enough to cancel school for a day or two and since roads would be too dangerous to drive, most of the time would be spent warm and indoors. My high school was unique enough to have a snow board team which I participated in for four years. It was one of the most popular teams at school and some of my fondest memories are competitive snow boarding.

Now that I have returned to the bay area to attend school, it really makes me appreciate where I grew up. Much of my current political and environmental views were shaped because of the area I grew up in and as a result, my major and career interests were easier to decide upon.