I grew up on a small family dairy farm in Wisconsin, where responsibility was part of everyday life from a young age. The work was constant and practical. Feeding calves, milking cows, field work, fixing what broke, and doing what needed to be done regardless of timing, weather, or weekends. That environment made it clear early on that systems matter, problems don’t pause, and solutions only count if they hold up in real-world conditions.

After high school, my early college years were shaped by refining my academic direction rather than following a fixed path. Over time, I found myself drawn toward environments where learning happened through doing, and where progress depended on understanding how things actually worked. That perspective ultimately led me to early-stage software companies, where roles were fluid, problems were rarely well-defined, and the pace demanded both curiosity and accountability.

Working in those settings reinforced an approach that had resonated with me long before: good solutions start with a clear understanding of the problem. Moving between customer-facing work, operational responsibilities, and product-adjacent roles helped shape how I think about work today. Grounding decisions in context, questioning assumptions early, and staying focused on outcomes that make sense beyond the initial idea.