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​​I grew up in a small rural town on the Russian River in Sonoma County, California. On the left (above if you're using a mobile device), you can see my older brother Zeke and me hiking near the Russian River just south of Jenner, California. On the right (below if you're using a mobile device), you can see a picture of the local swimming spot near the town where I grew up.
I used to work in the construction trades before I decided to come back to school to change careers. I have have built homes from the ground up and have remodeled existing structures.  Some of the jobs I have done include framing walls, building decks and stair cases, interior and exterior painting, and installing trusses, siding, drywall, flooring, doors, windows, baseboard, trim, and cabinets. 
I started my college education at Sierra Community College where I was elected student body president and served as a student liaison to the college's board of trustees.  On the left, you can see a picture of me in my student body president office.  After graduating from Sierra College, I transferred to UC Davis to finish my Bachelor's Degree in Economics, where I graduated at the top of my class with highest honors. I was admitted directly into the UC Davis ARE PhD program after completing my Bachelor's Degree. While in the PhD program, I took an extra year of classes to earn a Master's degree.
​I met my wife Rebekah in 2009.  We got married in 2013. On the left, you can see a picture of us in Monterey, California.  On the right, you can see us on our wedding day. 
​​Our toy poodle Chloe became a part of our family during the summer of 2016.  She can be a little rascal sometimes, but most of the time she is such a little lover.
On New Year's Day, 2021, Rebekah gave birth to our son Ezra.   He was born three and a half weeks early via C-section due to concerns the doctors had once Rebekah into labor.  Due to the early birth, the doctors made Rebekah and Ezra stay at the hospital for several days to make sure they were both stable.  After a few days, they were able to come home.
Some of my favorite recreational activities include playing softball and hiking (I really like hiking!!!). On the left, you can see a picture of me playing at the annual UC Davis Agricultural and Resource Economics Department faculty vs. graduate student softball game.  Notice our team mascot (a cow) playing in the outfield.  Sometimes, I also play on a competitive city-league team. My favorite position is third base. On the right, you can see me hiking on one of my favorite trails in Auburn, California. To check out some of the other trails I've hiked recently, you can visit my new Northern California trail hiking website at https://zachstrax.weebly.com.
​​I also enjoy camping and doing construction projects even though I no longer do construction work for a living.  On the left, you can see a picture of my campsite at Middle Loch Leven Lake in the Tahoe National Forest.  On the right, you can see a picture of me building a treehouse for my niece, KaiAura.
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​I recently spent a couple of days doing hired farm work on an organic almond farm to better understand what our nation's farmworkers do for a living (spoiler alert...it's physically exhausting!!!). On the left, you can see a video of us dragging heavy plastic tarps from tree to tree with harvested almonds on them. On the right, you can see a video of us gathering the nuts into the center of the tarp and dumping them into the bin.  
On the left, you can see me with two of the workers who helped harvest the almonds (Poncho, 60 years old from Guatemala, and Miguel, 30 years old from Mexico). On the right, you can see me with another worker (Pedro, 29 years old from Guatemala).