Biography
The Story: A Summary
I’m a lifelong South Carolinian that is passionate about serving others! I was born in Charleston, and raised in Loris (the Chicken Bog capital)! My involvement in serving started pretty much right at birth. I was born with a birth defect, which led to my family’s involvement in the March of Dimes. In 1997, I was a the national ambassador for the organization. At two and a half years old, I was on Capitol Hill helping out lobbying Congress to support the March of Dimes. During my childhood, I raised money through walk-a-thons, candy drives, birthday presents in the form of donations, and even setting up lemonade stands to raise funds! The organization maintains a special place in my life!
In middle school, I started Cobi’s Coats for Kids. Through this project, I collected new and gently used coats for families in my local community. We collected the coats throughout the spring and summer months and would have a coat drive at the beginning of the fall season. During my grade school and undergraduate years, we collected and distributed over 300 coats per year. It’s an endeavor that I enjoy, and hope to use it in the future to continue helping families in need!
During high school, I worked for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans minor league baseball club. I wanted to be a general manager of a Major League Baseball team after graduating college, and working for the Pelicans was the best way to start working to accomplish that goal. Working for the Pelicans was an amazing experience! I had the opportunity to work with great people, and utilize my outgoing personality. Additionally, the experience helped me explore my interest in baseball management; as I had the opportunity to have great mentors in the baseball industry to help better understand the business side of the game. Truly, this was a formative experience!
In addition to baseball, I maintained my involvement in the “political realm“ during my high school years. I was voted to be a senator of my class each year. My endeavors always involved creating a sense of community within my school. I went to a magnet high school called “Early College High School.” The school allows the students to work towards an associates degree, while completing high school requirements. The program was fairly young when I started; and as a senator, I aimed to help build a sense of community and loyalty among the school’s students. During my junior year, I was selected as one of two students in Horry County to represent Horry Telephone Cooperative on the Foundation for Rural Services Youth Tour in Washington DC. The program was an intense 3 day program where we learned about efforts to provide broadband services to rural communities. Additional to those political involvements, I paid attention and learned about federal politics through the 2012 presidential campaign. It’s where I started developing political thoughts, opinions, and ideals.
When I started college at Coastal Carolina University, the country was going through the 2014 mid-term elections. Then-Governor Nikki Haley and current-Congressman Tom Rice visited Coastal Carolina to campaign for re-election, where I had the opportunity to meet Congressman Rice and his staff. That led to interning in his district and his DC offices. The experience working in the offices inspired me to have a career in serving the community where I grew up. In the land of opportunity, Horry County is that opportunity.
I now serve my community as the business liaison for the Grant Center for Real Estate and Economics. The center is located within the Wall College of Business at Coastal Carolina University. Its purpose is to serve students, faculty, and professionals engaged in all facets of real estate and economics. The Grant Center is only going to grow in influence in our community as we continue to grow. I am very blessed to be part of the program!
Along with the Grant Center, I am involved in several civic and professional organizations; Loris Civitan, Carolina Forest Rotary, SC Coastal Region Human Trafficking Taskforce, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Council, Cluck Norris, and Loris Bog-Off Committee just to name the highlights. I do what I can to help better my community!