I was born and raised in southwest Georgia, but you wouldn’t guess that from talking to me. My family would describe me as an odd child with a lot of questions and weird taste in, well, everything. I was an anxious, gullible kid afraid of the dark and couldn’t play video games where I might lose a life. I grew up as the first in my family to do many things — graduate college, board a plane, and make a salary. As a result, I was socialized immediately to understand that someone like me only gets one shot; failure is not an option, and it is best not to risk it. I learned to stay small while moving toward something bigger than myself. And regardless of what I achieved, I was always afraid of losing it.