elissa Powell Gay, a middle child, arrived in the middle the twentieth century to parents who were both in-betweeners. Added to this, her birth sign is Libra, the scales, which inflicts her with the burden of acknowledging the merits of all sides. Naturally, she became the family mediator and to this day she struggles with casting a vote on Election Day.

But there was that one exception. In high school her civics teacher offered her an A for the entire class if she ran against an unopposed candidate for Virginia’s fifth congressional district. Running as a write-in candidate, she received over 100 votes and the coveted A.

After graduation from the University of Richmond, she worked as waitress, data entry clerk, and sales rep before launching herself into the corporate world. The highlight of her business career featured a place in Internet history as a member of the team which deployed the first Internet service offered by a major telecommunications company.

Growing up in southwestern Virginia among farmers and factory workers and later working in the business world, she was exposed to the ideas of strong work ethic and individual accountability.

Her stories and essays champion self-reliance, independent thinking, and encouraging others to learn how to help themselves.