Representative Erica Layon's path to the New Hampshire House weaves through California sunshine, MIT classrooms, the adrenaline-charged floors of options trading, and the open skies of skydiving before landing in the granite landscape of New Hampshire politics.
Growing up in a master-planned California community, Layon's intellectual curiosity led her to remarkable experiences even before college. Her high school offered an extraordinary opportunity—a year-long cadaver class where students dissected human bodies. This early hands-on experience with anatomy nearly launched her toward orthopedic surgery until she realized her limitations working without sleep. When MIT acceptance came, she couldn't refuse, though her academic journey would wind through biomedical engineering and architecture before settling on economics.
The high-stakes world of options trading taught Layon to maintain composure under pressure and make solid decisions with limited information—skills that translate perfectly to legislative work. Her professional training included 100 hours of supervised poker playing to analyze decision-making patterns, while her personal life took an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with her future husband in an airport. Their connection led to skydiving adventures, including a proposal where he attached an engagement ring to his parachute pin during a pre-jump safety check.
After nearly 300 jumps (and one broken femur), motherhood and career shifts as a medical device analyst shaped her next chapter. When COVID arrived, Layon recognized potential legislative pitfalls on the horizon. Despite having once made it a life goal that "nobody I didn't know would know my name," she filed to run for office on the last day possible. Now serving her third term while raising three boys and managing forest land, Leon brings her analyst's skill of "looking around corners" to committee work.
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