From Service to Storytelling: A New Mission Through the Lens

For sixteen years, I served in the United States Coast Guard as an Electronics Technician. I worked on everything from radars and navigation systems to major caliber weapons systems aboard Coast Guard cutters. I spent six of those years at sea, from Panama to Japan to the very far reaches of the Arctic Ocean, keeping systems operational, maintaining weapons system and helping protect the country’s coastlines. It was a career built on precision, resilience, and a deep commitment to something greater than myself.

But like so many chapters in life, mine took an unexpected turn. In 2021, I was medically discharged after experiencing heart failure. It was a moment that abruptly ended my military career and left me searching for what came next. That search led me to something I never expected: photography. After being discharged, I enrolled at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, ready to start over, this time with a camera in hand. I chose photography not just as a creative outlet, but as a way to keep serving, though this time it would be through storytelling. Photography has become my new mission. With every frame I shoot, I aim to honor the raw, honest stories that too often go unseen. Currently, I’m diving deep into editorial projects for school that challenge how we see everyday life and the people within it. At the same time, I’m building The Relentless Mustang, a personal passion project that speaks to my roots, my values, and my voice as an artist. (You can check out more about The Relentless Mustang in my previous post.)

My time in the Coast Guard taught me how to observe, how to adapt, and how to act under pressure. Those same instincts guide me now as I document the changing landscape and populations of the Western United States. This time not from the deck of a ship, but from the sidewalks, the highways, and the wild, untamed spaces in between. This journey from service member to visual storyteller is just beginning. And just like in the military, I’m in it with relentless purpose.