I was born and raised in Traverse City and Cheboygan. My family roots in Michigan go back five generations. My great-grandmother actually taught in the local one-room schoolhouse! I graduated Valedictorian from Cheboygan High School where I played basketball, volleyball and ran track.

After September 11, my high school sweetheart (and future husband), Matt, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He would go on to serve tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. We moved five times in fifteen years while raising two little girls. Eventually, Matt suffered combat injuries, including post-traumatic stress and a traumatic brain injury, and I became his primary caretaker and advocate.

I received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Central Michigan University and taught high school English. But it was difficult after Matt’s injuries, and I was frustrated by the lack of support for active military members and returning veterans. I became involved in advocating for military families through Blue Star Families and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving.

I wanted to do more to advocate for policy change at the federal level, so I went to the University of Michigan Law School, graduating with a law degree, and for the next several years I worked as a business attorney while connecting veterans to free legal services.

One of my primary concerns has always been finding real solutions for people in need of help. When my husband couldn’t get the care he needed – I would have walked over glass to make it happen. Bottom line: I got him what he needed, and since then I’ve made sure other veterans have, too. Michigan’s First Congressional District is my home. I see how hard it is to make a life here – I’ve lived it, and I’m currently living it. I don’t want my kids to have to.  If we want any chance of an American Dream, we need to fight for a future we can actually afford – where you can actually buy a house, go to the doctor, keep a full fridge. This is a fight I’m ready to take on.

I hope you’ll join me.