David grew up in the lower Rio Grande Valley in the small town of Harlingen, Texas. As a kid, David spent most of his time with his family at the nearby Santa Ana and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuges. These were important places for him that would later inspire him to change career paths and go back to school for his second degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. David also attributes his new career goals to his two year tenure with the Peace Corps in Ecuador where he served as a natural resources conservation volunteer from 2013 to 2015.