Personal Background

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I am originally from Blacksburg, Virginia, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies.  I have moved around throughout my life and only lived a short period of my life in Virginia.  I also lived in Farmington Hills and St. Johns, Michigan.  I attended St. Johns High School and graduated in 1999.  My parents, Robert and Jolene Welles still reside in St. Johns.  My father is a Metallurgic Engineer while my mother is a elementary teacher at Gateway Elementary in St. Johns.  I have one sibling, my older brother John who is twenty-two.  He also attends Grand Valley State University and is majoring in engineering.  There are also a variety of pets living in my house at the current time.  We have an English Bulldog that goes by the name Zelda, who is the most adorable dog in the world.  During the summers we also have quite a few pets from my mother's classroom.  These pets include a salamander (Sammie), three frogs (Mopsey, Malcom, and Fred), and a hamster (Harold).  I am attending Grand Valley State University at the current time trying to become an elementary teacher, like my mother.  I hope to be as good of a teacher as my mother is because she is one of the main reasons I decided to chose teaching as a career.