I was born in a small German village to a United States Air Force Officer. My father spoke German and taught me some when I was very little. My mother would play foreign lullabies to lull me to sleep. I have always been surrounded by cultures and languages that were not my own. 

     I found myself being excluded from my peers when it came to pop culture. I was enthralled by Japanese games, Chinese dramas, and Korean music. My middle school days were the most important for me. Ireceived a subscription to a video game rental service. I consumed as many Japanese games as I possibly could. On the bus I would play Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded or listen to SHINee and Big Bang. When I got home, I would run to my room to do my homework, so I could feel the controller in my hand once more. Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess and Super Smash Brothers Brawl became my after school games of choice. Before bed, I would play Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass, resting peacefully in a sea of dreams when done. 

    I was fortunate enough to have a Chinese program at my high school where I studied diligently for four years. I am continuing my study of Chinese and finally, professionally, studying Japanese at University. In the future, I hope to be a professional translator for Asian media such as Music, Film, and Television. My dream job however, would be to work for Square Enix and translate video games.