"I began my fitness journey when I was a Senior in High School. When I was 17 I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. However, I was extremely out of shape and no where near in the condition I needed to be for Boot Camp. I weighed 120lbs at that point. I spent 9 months training and I ended up falling in love with it! I was lifting weights and running regularly. By the time I was ready to ship out to Boot Camp, I weighed 140lbs and was running 5ks.
After completing all of the required training, I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. This is where I discovered bodybuilding. Mostly everyone I was stationed with had an interest in bodybuilding and weightlifting. Being in good shape was a big part of the job as well. I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and discovered a video of Dana Linn Bailey training chest and posing in preparation for the 2014 Olympia. I was amazed at her physique and I wanted to look like that! I became fully engrossed with training.
While I was in Japan I was in the best shape of my life. My PT scores were a 300, and I was doing pull-ups instead of the flexed arm hang (pull-ups were not mandatory during my time).
Unfortunately, I experienced a few injuries along the way. The most serious being a lumbar injury in 2016 and all of that quickly came to an end. Shortly after, I was stationed in Yuma, Arizona. My physical health, as well as my mental, went downhill and I could barely train. I tried to lift weights still but I was very limited in my movements.
In 2017 I was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps. Over the next couple years I would train, but it wasn't extremely consistent as I was still nursing injuries. I worked a handful of jobs, but I eventually got hired at a gym!
Currently I work as a trainer and I am preparing for my second NPC competition in the Women's Physique Division. Fitness has been an extremely positive thing in my life and I want to share it with other people. I believe everyone has a place in fitness, they just need to find their niche."
