I grew up in the Central Valley of California in a small farm town called Kerman. Spending the majority of my childhood on our family farm, I learned to be self sufficient, creative, and that there was always another angle or way to solve any problem I was faced with. I was raised to be proud of my Portuguese heritage and that I could accomplish anything just out of the pure fact that my last name was "Couto". This was my edge, and I heard it repeatedly from my parents, my grandparents, and my cousins. If I did well in sports or school...