From the time I was a kid, real estate has played a huge part in many of the life and business lessons that I have learned. Starting as a young teen busting out walls and tearing up flooring to earn a few extra bucks from his house-flipping Mother, I learned the value of hard work and the gratification of working with ones hands. A few years into it, I began to take notice of the business side of the house-flipping trade, which taught me that value lies where most people often aren’t looking. This helped to develop my creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Frankly, I didn’t much care for academics when I was in high school. As such, academics weren’t a huge consideration when I ultimately decided to attend the University of Mississippi in the year 2012. However, I did care a lot about real estate and figured I might as well figure out how Ole Miss could help me develop practical skills there while on my four-year vacation. It took me a little while but I eventually found out that Ole Miss had a real estate major and so I quickly added that to my managerial finance major. It’s funny what happens to a self-proclaimed “non-academic” when they find studies that they actually enjoy. Not only did I enjoy my classes and preparing for them, but I also discovered that I could excel in them if I managed my time well. By learning to manage my time well, I heard two little words that I never thought I would hear follow my name as I walked across the floor to shake the Dean’s hand on graduation day – “Cum Laude.” Following graduation, I began working for a commercial real estate and development company as a sales & leasing agent working on a commission-only compensation structure. This gave me my hustle and my passion for developing real relationships with people. I have realized few greater rewards in life than helping a friend conquer a goal in their quest for their ultimate business dream. And now, here I am, as an agency rep with Stewart Title Guaranty Company but, more importantly, as the culmination of everything you have just read. I promise all of my industry partners that I will work hard, be creative, educate myself, manage my time, hustle, build relationships, and enjoy the process of accomplishing our mutual hopes and dreams for this industry.