"Quite the character, he looks like quite the character!" my mother remarked upon giving birth to me. I like to think that she was spot on.

That said, my early years weren't necessarily that exciting compared to now. With that in mind, I'll provide a quick recap (as if I'd deprive you of it). I was born in Fargo, North Dakota. The year was 1982, the fashion: offensive. I wear the fact that I was born in Fargo on my sleeve with pride as few gay D-list celebrities can brag such a thing. Thankfully, after a few boring years in the Dakotas I was swept away to the bitter cold of Anchorage, Alaska. My father worked for Northwest airlines, which required my family to move often. My years in Alaska were filled with crazy hijinks usually involving Eskimos, Kodiak bears and my mother's Christian fundamentalist ideology.

My family finally settled in a sleepy suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota called Burnsville. Living in Minnesota allowed my brother and I to enjoy being in one place for an extended period of time. I attended middle school in Burnsville and was ultimately sent off to a salaciously naughty Catholic high school in the area: the Academy of Holy Angels. I loved the Academy (as we affectionately called it). It primed me for my time at Tufts University. It was during my junior year that I suffered a traumatic back injury forcing me to re-evaluate life. During this process of self-discovery I came out of the closet. Even today I thank the supportive staff at Holy Angels, my friends and my family for being moderately tolerant of my new lifestyle.

Upon graduation, I found myself at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. I figured it would be a fantastic place to continue my studies while finishing off my swimming career at a reputable institution. At Tufts I was involved with many activities: most notably as a member of the renowned hip-hop dance troupe Spirit of Color. I also enjoyed success in the water: breaking several team records and even competing at the NCAA championships. I was the only openly gay athlete at both Tufts and the NCAA championships that year which obviously prompted controversy. Despite these roadblocks, I attribute these continued successes to my loving family and, of course, my hero Michelle Kwan. In 2004 I graduated from Tufts University with a double major in Comparative Religion & American Studies with a minor in Communications & Media Studies.

After graduation I found myself dazed and confused: much like Mathew McConaughey and Parker Posey in the movie similarly titled. I worked a number of different jobs after graduation including production work on NBC's coverage of the 2004 Democratic National Convention, PBS, and the award-winning documentary Emmanuel's Gift. After that I worked in sales and account management at the Swedish education firm EF Education. During this time I continued to swim, while also exploring Triathlon and Marathon running.

On a whim, I sent in a video of myself to Bunim/Murray Productions. About seven months later, a fateful e-mail was sent to my inbox informing me that I had been chosen for the second round of interviews. I didn't even know I had made it into the first round! Four months later I was packing my bags for Key West, Florida as a cast member of the seventeenth season of the hit MTV show The Real World. I venture to guess that if you're reading this biography, you've seen me on the show. And, with that, I hope you've enjoyed it thus far.

As it's difficult to squeeze pertinent information into short biographies, I will now list other interesting facts about myself for you to salivate over.

• I swam competitively for over 12 years and won numerous state titles in Minnesota. I even competed at the National Championships in the 200 Breastroke & 200 Butterfly.
• I've studied Russian and German for 10 years. At one point I was named "Zolotoye Myedalist" for my superb mastery of the Russian language in a national competition.
• As a member of the Starliner Dance Team I was the first male ever to join and perform on a precision high-kick dance team in Minnesota.
• I studied classical piano for over 10 years and played a repertoire consisting almost exclusively of Rachmaninoff and Chopin pieces.
• I was elected Homecoming Queen my senior year at Tufts and traded crowns with the female winner in an effort to raise awareness of Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered issues at Tufts University and around the nation.
• My ultimate career goal is to produce athlete vignettes during coverage of the Olympic Games.