Hard Living

Paul’s journey began in hardship. At 12, he ran away from the Carmelite Home for Boys in Hammond, Indiana, a troubled kid, where he had lived for eight years. The home, run by dedicated Catholic nuns, provided a safe and structured environment for 70 boys, many of whom had only known hardship and broken homes.

Despite the nuns’ efforts to create stability, the courts returned Paul to live with his mother at the age of 14. Over the next three years, he once again endured the same tumultuous and difficult childhood he had experienced before his time at the Carmelite Home. By the age of 17, Paul had attended 12 schools in 12 years, navigating a life marked by constant instability and hardship.

Seeking a new path, Paul joined the US Marines at 17. His service took him across the US and around the globe, including Spain, Italy, and France. By 22, he had seen many parts of the world, and faced the harsh realities of life. By the time Paul had left the US Marines, in his life he had experienced abuse, abandonment, and witnessed young men die.

After leaving the US Marines Paul, was still facing a troubled heart, so he began a new challenge; to transform his fighting spirit and use it as leverage to fulfill his desire to live a better life. After the Marines he started his career as a front-line supervisor in the manufacturing industry, working for tier 1 automotive supply companies by day. And after work, he trained as a martial artist, hoping to forge his inner spirit and conquer his childhood demons.

Paul’s journey was not easy. For 18 years after the Marines, he battled past his childhood trauma, continuously striving to improve and grow. By the age of 35, he stepped onto a new path as an industrial electrician, which he used as a springboard into controls engineering.