“Before I could legally work, I had two main jobs: running a paper route and ‘walking beans’ on my uncle’s farm. Farmers would plant soy beans, and I would have to cut the weeds out of each of the rows. I would get up around 5 a.m., run my paper route, then get started walking beans. It wasn’t an easy job. I would be out in the hot sun carrying a machete while chopping up crops. Working in the crops all day, I would run into all different types of critters like snakes and insects. The first valuable lesson I learned was that I needed to be doing something else. Even as a child, I developed a strong work ethic I still use to this day. I started this job around the age of 15, making $1.35 an hour, which to a kid was a lot. I didn’t grow up with parents that could buy me whatever I wanted. By having these jobs, I learned not to be dependent on my parents and was able to buy things I wanted, which to any kid made the money worth it. One of the major things I took away from walking beans that I will never let go is that, with effort, you can obtain anything you want in life.”