I was raised by builders.

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My mother worked tirelessly on an auto assembly line at Chrysler, providing for four children as a single parent. No matter how hard things became, we never went without. She showed me what dedication, sacrifice, and stability truly look like.

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My father — my best friend — was a skilled mechanic who spent his days surrounded by tools, engines, and hard work. Even when his health told him to slow down, he showed up to his shop every day. That shop became my second home. I grew up listening to the sound of power tools and what my dad called “shop talk” — lessons about discipline, responsibility, and pride in the work you build with your own hands. And he taught me something I carry with me today: