About Me
Here is my story...
I was born in Schenectady, New York. In 1998 my family and I moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina. I am not hesitant to say this; I used to have a troubled past. I am not anywhere near proud of that past. The path that brought me to this point has been challenging—passing through jail cells and heartbreak to shape me into a vessel God could wield. God has used that past to make me into the man I am today, and I wouldn’t change it for my life. In saying that, I graduated from Tarheel Challenge Academy (TCA) with my GED and High school diploma. TCA is a National Guard Youth Challenge Program. It was founded to turn around the lives of young men and women between the ages of 16 and 18 who were experiencing difficulty in completing traditional high school. The school is a voluntary 17-month dropout recovery program that helps at-risk youths earn their high school diploma or equivalency. It produces graduates with the values, life skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed as productive citizens. I attended the Challenge program hoping the current D.A. would reduce the charges against me. They were not.
After graduating from the Challenge program, I went to jail. Thank God for it because it was there that God brought me low enough to acknowledge my need for a life-changing Savior. After professing faith in Jesus Christ. I believe God called me to be a minister. From 2014 until now, I have been reaching out to my community in any way I can. I try my hardest to serve in whatever capacity I can.
As time went on, I married and had two beautiful children. My life doubtlessly improved, but my past record cleaved to me. I had a choice. I could become a statistic, caught in the endless loop that the jail system can sometimes produce. Or I could choose better for myself and my family. So instead of succumbing, I sought out a way to be free of it. After searching relentlessly, my four-year search concluded with one plausible finding, expungement. If I could pay $175.00, obtain two letters from people supporting my character, accumulate over 100 hours of community service, and graduate from high school. Then I could have non-violent felonies removed from my record. It may sound lengthy, but it was the best hope I’d ever seen.
I sprung at the chance to break the final link in my prison chains. My record was my last foe, and this would finally separate me from its grasp. I filled out several pages of paperwork to complete my expungement. The district attorney cautioned me that everything had to be completed just right, or my paperwork would be denied, and I would have to start over. With a prayer, I turned in the paperwork. It was not rejected. The D.A. congratulated me because it was the first time she’d seen anyone complete the paperwork correctly the first time. A year later, my record was clear.
My newfound freedom caused me to wonder. How many other people were in my position? How could I help others in my situation? As I began asking myself these questions, Covid-19 descended on our nation. Riots ravaged our city, police were attacked, racial tension reached an all-time high, and the citizens of our fair county were more divided than ever. They were not even allowed to be with their loved ones for fear of sickness. It seemed our way of life was being turned on its head with no one to set it right. I was yet again faced with a life-changing choice. I could sit by and be glad that my family was making it. Or I could do everything in my power to make a change for all of Cumberland County. Therefore I decided to run for the Board of Education. I am also enrolled at Regent University as a pre-law student to become a lawyer. If I am given the pleasure of being elected, I will do all I can to honor the people's choice to let me represent them. Thank you for reading, and remember to vote as your research and conscience allow.