History

The Man Behind the Legend

I was born on October 10th, 1984 in Erie, PA. I am the youngest of Patricia and Michael Almeida's 4 children. I have 2 brothers, Brian and Steve, and 1 sister, Evie. I would live in Erie for the first 18 months of my life until my dad got a better job and we moved to Springfield, VA; where I have been living since. The schools I would attend seemed to get more ghetto as I moved onto the next level. I started out at Hunt Valley Elementary, then moved onto Washington Irving Middle School, and finally Robert E. Lee High School. I wasn't the most outgoing in extracurricular activities prior to high school. Once I got to high school, I started joining the wonderful world of organized sports. I played right wing/center on the club roller hockey team my freshman year, in which I led the team in points and tied for the team lead in goals. The following year, I tried out for the school's football team where I found a spot at middle linebacker, tight end, and special teams. Since the club hockey team had disbanded the following spring, I figured I'd give lacrosse a try. I immediately fell in love with the high paced game because it was very similar to hockey. I played defense and long pole midfield in lacrosse for the remaining 3 years of high school and obtained the role of defensive captain my senior year on the varsity team. I also maintained my academics, as a member of the National Business Honor Society. I graduated on June 2003 in the top 10 percent of my with a 3.76. The college decision process was a pretty simple one because there were only three to choose from: Virginia Tech, James Madison, and Mary Washington. I was accepted to all the schools I applied to but I knew that James Madison fit best for me when I visited here during my senior year of high school. During the spring semester of my freshman year, I pledged the fraternity known as Pi Kappa Alpha, it was probably the best 8 weeks of my life that I wouldn't want to go through again. My original major was chemistry coming in, but I stumbled into the hole. I am currently in the process of trying to change my major to something inside the College of Business, most likely Finance.