“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 who could buy me whatever I wanted. By having these jobs, I learned not to be dependent on my parents and to take care of my own wants and needs, 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.”