I am Dave Lowitzki. At this point there is little point to attempting anonymity, so why try.
I am married to the most amazing woman in the world (you can read more about her here). Melvin Udall, in the movie As Good as It Gets, says this about a woman:
You make me want to be a better man.
That is exactly how I describe Katie. She is more than I deserve, and she makes me want to be so much better. I love living life with her - through the good and the bad. I could not imagine a better person to share life with.
I grew up outside of Chicago in a small suburb called Crystal Lake. I have good memories of that town. Growing up outside of Chicago also explains my obsession with the Cubs. What can I say - I am a glutton for punishment! :)
We recently lived in Southern California, having lived out here for most of the last eight years. I first took a visit out to California in the fall of 1997 in order to visit Azusa Pacific University. And I did not take any more college visits after that. I attended APU for four years, receiving my B.A. in Biblical Studies, with two minors - leadership studies and Christian ministries.
While I focused my degrees in the religion area, I had really started to grow a passion for sociology. This was mainly due to a phenomenal professor that I had - Dr. Carrie Peirce. Carrie became more than a professor to me - she became a friend. And she also challenged everything that I had ever known. And I started to learn that life was bigger than what I had experienced. I questioned everything that I believed, everything that I thought, everything that I had been taught.
My passion to challenge everything and my passion for sociology sent me in the direction of graduate school. Two years after graduating from APU, I enrolled in Cal State - Fullerton's graduate sociology program. I will be graduating in a few months with my Masters degree with the goal of pursuing law school.
Wait...law school? Where did that come from?
For a long time I had planned on pursuing a PhD in sociology. This was the reason that I went to CSUF for a masters, so it would better prepare me for my doctorate. But things change. In the last few years I have developed a strong passion against the death penalty. I will not go into detail here, but this passion has led me to an interest (and now goal) of becoming a public defender. I have a passion to help those who cannot help themselves, including the guilty. And I believe that as a Christian we are called to help all people. There is absolutely no line drawn between the guilty and the innocent. PD Karla Gothard said it well:
...behind each headline or label, there is a human being with a story. When I look across the table at a client, I see a spark of God in them. I want to know who they are.
They deserve to be treated the same way that you and I do. And I am willing to do that.
So that is where I am going - law school. I do not know where, but I do know that I plan (hope?) to start in the fall of 2007.
We are now living in Chicago, in the north side neighborhood of Rogers Park. My wife got a job in the city, so we packed up and headed out. We have only been here for a short time, but so far we love it. It allows me to be even more obsessed with the Cubs, and places us just a couple of miles North of the beautiful Wrigley Field. What more can I ask for? :)
And I am working as a researcher with SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana (formerly SEIU Local 880), working for thousands of workers who do not make anywhere close to a living wage, receive no health care or paid time off, yet have some of the most important jobs around - taking care of children and assisting people with disabilities. I do research on a little bit of everything, but am currently focusing on policy issues. The labor movement is not perfect. But it is necessary. Our members are the definition of the working poor. And they deserve better.
So that is me a nutshell. Married to an amazing woman. Living in Chicago. Fighting against the powers that be.
