I am blessed with the two most beautiful women in the world, my wife Erika and our baby girl Melanie. We are also pretty lucky to have some family in Austin with us, which allows us to spend a lot of time with them. My wife and I both like to stay active, so some of our favorite hobbies are to go walking or running around our neighborhood or at parks around Austin (usually with me pushing Melanie in the stroller) and occasionally my wife will drag me to a class at YMCA where she usually kicks my butt.

2. What made you want to teach/coach?

 I have wanted to be a coach and teacher since around my freshman year in high school. I had several coaches and teachers in both high school and college that made a great impact on me. They inspired me in my faith, pushed me through tough academics (that really paid off in college), and helped me have a lot of fun and success in athletics. I hope to influence every student I get to meet in my career in these same ways.

3. What is your favorite part about being a teacher at Vandegrift?

I love being a part of a school that stands for something different. Many schools are named after areas or maybe somebody who worked for the school district for a long time, but at Vandegrift you know you are representing someone who lived his life as a sacrifice for others. The motivation so many people have to represent the Vandegrift name in the right way for the community and not just for themselves is really unique.

4. What should students expect for the year?

Honestly, it depends which class of mine you are in. I teach AVID to freshman students and in that class students can expect to get pushed out of their comfort zone as we begin building the foundation of what it takes to be a college student. I hold a disciplined line on many things, but we also have quite a bit of fun building relationships, which is a skill many potential college students need to work on. In my other class, the Influence of the Old/New Testament on American Civilization, you can expect to learn about things most students don’t get exposed to while attending a public high school. Students who choose to join that elective social studies class will get to learn a lot about the Bible and how it affects us, which will better prepare them if they hope to take any similar classes in college.

5. What is one fun fact about yourself? 

I can fly…just kidding. I’m not one to brag, but there may be a video of me scoring a game-winning touchdown against one of my biggest college football rivals online. I had the privilege of playing college football at Wheaton College near Chicago, it was an awesome four years of my life.