I am a violence survivor and a small business owner. Since being attacked in Harrisburg, I have dedicated my life to preventing violence and helping others navigate the judicial system so they get their fair shake at justice. The man who attacked me was acquitted by a jury though caught covered in my blood with my money in his pocket.

I was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania. I grew up on West Hanover Street and then Irishtown in New Oxford. I attended West Hanover Street Elementary, St. Joe’s, Sacred Heart, and Delone before I moved to Dover to live with my dad. My secondary school was completed in Northern York Co.

After two years at Gettysburg HACC, I was accepted to New York University where I graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2004.

I was a working actor, theater teacher, and producer of Off-Off Broadway theater in New York. I returned to Hanover in 2008 to work at Eichelberger Center teaching acting to children before the 2008 financial crisis. In 2010, I moved to New York and was then contracted in California to perform at the Mendocino Theater Company. In 2014, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Being my best friend, I could not allow him to die alone in a nursing home, so I finished my last contract and returned to Hanover to be his full-time caretaker.

I was committed to his love and care until he drew his last breath beside me at 5:30 am February 7, 206. Over the next several weeks, I prepared his estate, ensured my grandmother would not want, and packed for California. A few weeks later, I helped a good friend organize a voter registration event in Harrisburg on Holy Saturday. In the early hours of Easter Sunday, I was brutally attacked and my life changed. I now dedicate my professional work to helping others receive the justice I never did.

The company I started, Zeer, has signed contracts with the US Air Force, been through six international and local accelerators, including Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and collaborated with world-class people across the globe.