Sean earned a BA from Appalachian State University and then spent the next few years as a counsellor and a social worker. He then spent four years in the U.S. Air Force and was deployed with the Army to Mosul in 2006. After getting out of the Air Force, he went to work for the Army, where he earned a Master's degree in Strategic Intelligence. He is a member of both the ACLU and the NAACP as well as a Unitarian Universalist. This dichotomy means that at work, he is regarded as a liberal, whereas at church, he is seen as conservative. This experience has shown him that we have more in common than we have that separates us. Additionally, it has shown him that we have more power when we work together, and that the problems we face are not as insurmountable as they appear.