I grew up in Syracuse, NY. I graduated from West Genesee High School in 2000. I was a Varsity athlete for both track and cross country teams; I also played on the lacrosse team and football team.

A year after high school, I went into the US Air Force. Uncertainty of my choice was countered by a determination to be successful in life. I attended basic training for 6 weeks at Lackland Air Force Base and then attended a 6 month technical school at Sheppard Air Force base in Texas to learn my job as an Aerospace Grounds Equipment Mechanic.

My first duty station was reluctantly predicted when I was waiting with other students for our orders by blurting out "I'm probly going to get Japan". And so it happend! I was originally stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan (an hour outside of main Tokyo for 2 years. However, in 2003, I got married to a Japanese native named Akiko and my time was extended for another year which helped complete all of the Visa paperwork. While in Japan, I was always went sightseeing, hung out with other Japanese friends, and treated it as a learning experience. I ended up attending the University of Maryland on base taking classes all the way to intermediate level.

Then it was time to leave Japan and my new wife and I had to move to Ellsworth Air Force Base (near Rapid City, SD). What a culture shock this was, especially coming from such a wonderful place like Japan! We happened to meet some other Japanese spouses on base that my wife could hang out with to make the move a bit easier over time, but it was still not an easy task being so far away from home for her. My wife and I stayed in SD for 2 years. By then, I had just completed my Bachelors in Marketing at AIU Online.

We've been back in my hometown Syracuse since 2007. I recently just finished grad school, May 2017 with an M.A. Integrated Marketing Communication. I'm the CEO of two growing businesses: Hajime Japanese Tutoring and Bovenzi Digital Marketing.