I was raised in Orangeville (Emery County), Utah. Orangeville is one of America's great small towns, one where kids can roam the streets on their bikes, go to church on Sunday, and be raised and taught by good people wherever they go.
The second of ten kids, I was involved in sports and played baseball, basketball, golf, cross country, and football in high school. I also owned and operated a local shaved ice business with my siblings. I earned my Eagle Scout Award and was involved with student government and community service opportunities like food drives, blood drives, and coaching local youth sports teams.
After graduating valedictorian from Emery High School, I studied at Brigham Young University, where I earned a bachelor's degree in business. I was ranked #1 in my class and graduated summa cum laude, the highest academic distinction awarded by colleges.
I took a two-year leave during my time at BYU to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico City and south-central Mexico. My time in Mexico was a rewarding opportunity to work daily to help improve the lives of others. It was also my second time living in a developing nation, as my family lived in the Dominican Republic for 18 months while I was growing up. My time in these countries helped me both learn to work with, learn from, and love people from diverse backgrounds, while also highlighting for me the incredible opportunity and blessing it is to live in the United States. After I returned to BYU, I continued to be involved with the Hispanic community in the Utah County area.
After completing my degree at BYU, I earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. During law school, I served in student government, worked on the International Law Journal and Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law, played on the Stormin' Mormons intramural basketball team, and formed a rock band with fellow classmates. I also made my best and most life-changing decision. I married my wife, Tiffany Hansen, of Spanish Fork.
In addition to my law degree from Harvard, I also earned a masters degree in history from Oxford University, where I was a member of Reuben College. During my time at these renowned institutions, I continued to have the chance to associate with people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse beliefs. I learned to listen to their viewpoints while also sharing my own in a convincing manner.
After law school, Tiffany and I moved to New York City where we started our family and I worked at one of the city's oldest law firms. While we made lifelong friends during our time there, I felt drawn to the chance to set my own course through entrepreneurship, so we returned to the superb business startup environment offered by Utah and co-founded an educational technology company called Bookroo that provides a platform for families and schools to nurture in kids a love of books and a positive attitude towards reading.
After our rewarding experiences across the United States and around the world, Tiffany and I are happy to be back in my hometown, where our kids now attend the same elementary school I did, play in community sports, and can still ride their bikes around town. They also operate the same shaved ice stand, and we take weekly (if not daily) trips to the town library.
But the story isn't over yet. Orangeville is one of the rural communities that hasn't thrived like the rest of the state in recent years. The economy is based in coal mining and coal-fired power plants, and as these industries have been challenged by government regulations, many have lost jobs and been forced to leave the area.
That's why we're proud to be in the area, taking part in the area's efforts to innovate, retool, and continue to offer a remarkable experience of American life.
I'm running for U.S. Senate because I believe the best way to continue to foster the American Dream is to empower people, not government. I don't want to be in a government that seeks more and more power. I want to be in government to return power to people to pursue their dreams and ambitions, supported by government where essential and unimpeded by government where not.