I was born David Russell Shill as the youngest of four kids. I grew up in Lehi, a rural community in Mesa, Arizona, sandwiched between the suburbs of Phoenix and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. 

I learned a lot by taking care of chickens, horses, cows, and other animals. My upbringing taught me responsibility, hard work, empathy, and that anything is figure-out-able.

I was very independent as a child. I spent hours building things, reading encyclopedias, or exploring my space books. I loved figuring things out on my own, and that curiosity and self-reliance have stayed with me. 

I attended Heritage Academy from 7th to 12th grade, where I was fortunate to participate in a million different extracurriculars, including: choir, drama, student government, musicals, ballroom, football, basketball, and swim team. In addition to the arts, my school prioritized teaching about the founders, American history, the Constitution, and general civics. I'm grateful to have this strong foundation, and I can thank my high school experience for my interest in politics and participating in democracy. 

After High School, I served a volunteer mission for the LDS church in Northern Italy. My time in Italy was very difficult, but ultimately changed me for the better. I became much more open-minded, accepting, and self-reliant. Again, I saw people struggling every day and did my best to help them.

Afterward, I moved to Provo to go to BYU, where I worked part-time while going to school full-time, living in poverty just to survive. I lived in tiny, overcrowded housing, skipped meals, and watched friends take gap years or even join the military just to make it through. I had no time to think about anything beyond survival. 

I began providing for myself, and with no real experience, the only job I could get was doing clerical work for a small firm. My life became about moving money from my boss to my landlord.  I was severely underpaid and overworked, living paycheck to paycheck and putting myself through college. For every dollar made, I made ten for my boss. It became apparent to me that the "American dream" was just a dream for most of us.

Eventually, I made it. After college, I was lucky to land a solid job that gave me enough stability to stay in Utah and, after years of saving, buy a home with my partner here in Provo. 

But life quickly revealed how fragile that stability really is. Losing my job would sink us. One accident and we're back in poverty.

Healthcare costs are a constant worry. When my partner was injured in an accident, medical bills piled up despite his “good” insurance. 

My daily commute exposed me to the failings in Utah’s transportation system. FrontRunner delays left me stranded in the cold, and the I-15 gets so congested that a drive home can take an hour. Infrastructure simply hasn’t kept pace with how fast our communities have grown.