I was born and raised in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. I'm half Hispanic by way of my mom's parents -- my grandmother's family is from Nicaragua and my grandfather was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I don't speak Spanish, however. I know enough to interpret what my grandmother says when she fusses at my grandfather in Spanish, but that's about it!

I have one sister, Holly, who is 18 and is a senior at Ponchatoula High School. My parents, who moved to Ponchatoula (45 miles north of New Orleans) two weeks after I started college, are Mike and Sandie. My mom is a semi-retired radiologic technologist who keeps busy with just about everything. My dad owns a heavy-duty truck and parts business, Parish Truck Sales. I graduated from Grace King High School in 1999, where I was way involved in Student Council and our school newspaper, Irish Eyes.

The last part of my New Orleans life is a question that I get asked quite often: Have I ever been to Mardi Gras? Well, of course. It's impossible to live in South Louisiana and not go to Mardi Gras. Whether you like it or not, your life is affected by it -- it's a state holiday for goodness sake!