#WooWho: “It took me a long time to find the path that led me to Princeton. I grew up in a working-class community that placed a high value on working with your hands. There was this pride that came with being able to make things. I spent a lot of time in the garage growing up and it is where I discovered my love of problem solving. I loved trouble shooting issues with cars and the challenge of designing and fabricating unique solutions. Those values informed my early career choices. After high school, I worked as a tactical aircraft mechanic in the usairforce, and then a land surveyor building high rises in Southern California. These careers really fit who I was and reflected the community pride I had. Then the Great Recession hit, and I watched a lot of friends and family lose their jobs and people lose their homes. There was this feeling of helplessness — it felt like people were being punished for something they had no control over. It felt like no one was looking out for my commun...