Bio

I’m Shane.

Aspiring scholar, amateur commentator, and collector of knowledge. The Athenaeum is in the early stages of what will hopefully be a big leap forward. This collection seeks to combine scholasticism and knowledge with experience and life. As an old friend would say, the desire is to always live in the tension between two absolutes, to find balance in order to understand this life we have. Nuance is the key to all things, and is the heart and soul of everything I do.

I come from a long line of immigrants, horse thief’s, and rural peoples. Born in the the great state of Arkansas, educated in the Missouri, with aspirations on the coast. Understanding people, their stories and hearing their perspectives on the world has led me to create a collection of sorts, that holds these differing ideas, perspectives, and experiences in tension, all the while reflecting on the greater meaning of it all.

My Father began immigrating to the US from Mexico when he was 14 years old. He would travel with his father to ranches in Texas to find work. He was often deported, and often came right back. He had a mother and sisters back home, and he was determined to take care of them; whatever the cost. He eventually was able to secure permanent residency status in the US.

My mother was born in rural north west Arkansas to farmers. She was raised in a conservative Christian home, which would impact her views and perspectives on the world. She spent lots of time with her grandmother, a godly woman, from whom she gleaned so much wisdom.

I was born in December of 1996. I grew up on a farm myself, and my first memories are filled with cattle, horses, fences, and the church where I was raised. I was always an ambitious and curious kid. I never met a stranger, and was always eager to meet new people. My older brother, who was a bit more reserved, was not always a fan of me trying to shake hands with what he perceived to be random people at church on Sunday evenings, and would often make me sit right beside him so he could protect me.

In school, I was a high achiever. I may not have always been at the very top of my class where the grades were concerned, but I was always a leader in some way, shape or form. I’ve always had a way with people, an orientation that I maintain to this day.

In my teenage years, my father graduated with his bachelors degree in business administration from an online program, making him the first person in our family to get a college education. I was determined to follow in his footsteps. Upon graduating from high school, I enrolled in a small Christian University in Missouri, and became the first person in my family to attend College on campus.

I continued to be a highly motivated and skilled student. I became highly involved in campus government, as well as being involved with the admissions team, helping perspective students find their way to our campus. I flew for the first time while in college, and had the opportunity to travel all across the US; from DC to Houston, from Anaheim to Pennsylvania. These experiences were some of the most formative moments in my life.

And yet, was much as I had in common with the Shane that first enrolled, so many things had begun to shift. As you can imagine, I grew up in a very conservative home, with very conservative political viewpoints, and not just the most room for contrary thought. Conservative viewpoints and perspectives pervaded my education, my church experiences, and my social interactions. Moving to University, especially a Christian one, I thought things would remain the same.

The University I attended certainly has a conservative bent. However, for the first time in my life, I was taught by Godly faculty to think critically about the things I believed. I was taught to challenge the status quo of thought, and to approach new ideas objectively. I was taught to do sound research, and how to see through faulty arguments. I was never taught that the way I believed before was bad or wrong; I simply discovered how to think for myself, and how to develop my own beliefs, rather than being told what to believe.

I graduated from University changed. I still hold some conservative view points (because believe it or not, I don’t believe conservatism is bad). However, I have put some of those thoughts and ideas behind me, and picked up new ideas that I believe are a better solution. I find myself centered. Centered Politically, Centered Theologically, Centered Mentally.

Finding the Center requires nuance. It requires taking all things into account, and considering all things.

My hope is that The Athenaeum will be a place where others might find the center. I hope that I can help others to consider all things, and help others to let go of hard absolute positions in favor of ones that take into consideration our fellow man who may not agree.

I am Nothing more than a guy trying to make a difference in all the little ways.

My name is Shane. I have a beautiful Girlfriend named Marissa. I have a dog named Honey. I am a servant of the LORD of Hosts, God most High. I am a follower of Christ Jesus, and I am commanded to Love God and my neighbor.