An internship with MSNBC at the Republican National Convention in San Diego in 1996 sealed the deal for me. I was only 17, not even finished with high school, but I knew I wanted to do something in journalism and politics.

Originally from Washington, New Jersey, I received my undergraduate degree from Susquehanna University, in central Pennsylvania, where I studied broadcasting and political science. From there, I lived at home and worked at a local newspaper in New Jersey for about a year. Sitting through countless city council and planning board meetings, I watched and covered local politics at its best and worst. To some, they were just boring meetings. For me, it was an education.

I headed to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism for graduate school. I fell in love with the big-city life of Chicago and got to cover Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. From there I headed west and north, to the great state of North Dakota. I became the political reporter for KFYR-TV in Bismarck, N.D., and, despite the winters, I loved it. I went to Iowa to cover the Democratic presidential caucuses. I was in the room for Howard Dean's infamous scream and got one-on-one interviews with the doctor from Vermont and Sen. John Kerry. After a year and a half in Bismarck, I joined KY3 in January 2005 to cover statewide politics and other subjects. The people are just as nice here -- and it's much warmer.

I owe all my success to my parents. My dedicated, hard-working mother taught me resiliency and supports my every move. My hard-nosed, skeptical father taught me how to argue and ask tough questions.

If you can't tell by now, I'm a political junkie, so I watch, read and consume everything I can about politics. My favorite political personality and show is Chris Matthews' Hardball. I do have a bit of life outside that, however. I like David Letterman, the Atlanta Braves, hip-hop music, Italian food and most HBO shows. My all-time favorite show is Curb Your Enthusiasm on that network. To me, 'curb' is the closest thing to reality TV.

To see my blog on politics and government, click here.