Intro

Hello everyone! My name is Robert Snider and I am 34 years old. I grew up in small town in Illinois just a few miles SE of Saint Louis, Missouri. My hometown, Dupo, had a population of only 5,000 (est) people while I was growing up. My hometown is actually considered a Village and not a town or city. My grandparents raised both me and my younger brother. We grew up learning to do all of the things rural kids would normally do. Hunt, fish, hike, baseball, football, scouts and so on. It was a very nice childhood that holds an abundance of positive memories for myself. The one big negative during my childhood was when I lost my grandfather at the age of 13. He was diagnosed with cancer and just six months after that, he was gone. This had an immediate impact on me. Once a solid performer in athletics's and academics, by the time I reached my senior year in high school, I dropped out and lost any chance for an athletic scholarship in football. At age 20 I completed my GED. Not the way I had envisioned my life starting out. So, at the age of 22, I joined the Navy.  This was strictly done because I felt I had something to prove. At first it was not easy to get accepted into the navy. A few run-ins with the law made me a colorful applicant. Feel safe in knowing that I was NOT a felon. Just a small town kid acting like a rebel with-out a cause. That was me. So the navy finally accepted my application in the Spring of 1999. My first year in the navy was tough, but very rewarding. By year two I had seen 15 different countries and was well adjusted. In year two I was also recruited by the N2 (Naval Intelligence) and served the majority of my career in the navy as an intelligence analyst. This was the job I was born to do! I really enjoyed my time working as an analyst. Sadly, like all good things, it came to an end. I got married to a Japanese woman and because I held an extremely high clearance in a certain caveat, I was deemed to be at risk for compromise, because of my exposure to a foreign national. It was basically my family or my career and I chose family. The real kicker is that I am now divorced. While I was married I had a son with my ex and he currently lives with his mother in Japan. After working in Intel I was stationed in Port Hueneme where I eventually finished my career in 2007. During this tour I met my current girlfriend who is also in the navy. We have a three year old daughter together who I am taking care of while her mother is currently serving in Afghanistan. I had a brief stint with an exclusive security firm that provided security for athletes and actors. I did that for a year before going back home for a summer. In early 2010 I returned to the 805 and started going to school.

That brings me to current times. I am now a full-time student pursuing a Environmental Science degree. This is my last full-time semester before I transfer to CSUCI. Life overall has been good to me. At present time I am working to make up for lost time and opportunities. I am always working to move forward and trying to stay somewhat productive. Idle hands....

My future is one I envision with my kid's together. Where I am making positive impacts on my environment through my education. Never taking a day for granite. But, probably most importantly, the Chicago Cubs win a World Series!