Born in Fall River, Massachusetts to immigrant parents from São Miguel in the Azores, Portugal, I was raised at the crossroads of Portuguese culture and the American dream. Portuguese was my first language; I learned English through school-and reruns of the Adam West Batman series. Drawn early to physical discipline and adrenaline, I gravitated toward extreme sports like surfing and skateboarding, spending my off-hours either skating, in the gym, or training in the dojo. Eve…
