I grew up in Benld, a rural community in southern Illinois, with one older and one younger brother – we sure got into our fair share of mischief. My father was the dean of students during my school years and later the principal of the high school. My mother is a reading specialist at the local elementary school. It was a great place to grow up; I couldn’t have asked for a better upbringing.
Throughout high school, people asked me what I wanted to do, and all I could tell them was that I wanted to do something science related – therefore I decided to major in biology at the University of Illinois in Springfield. While attending UIS, I lost my grandparents to various illnesses; this was a driving factor for me to pursue medicine as a career.
I changed my major to chemistry and was able to further advance my knowledge of the field of medicine by studying healthcare management. As I traveled for interviews, I was most welcomed and felt the most comfortable in South Bend. It is a place where I will be able to learn, grow, and feel at home. With my wife April, I enjoy fishing, biking, basketball, cooking, reading, fixing things around the house, doing puzzles, spending time with my family and traveling.
