Andy Welch III had the most unusual first job of the nine nominees on the short list for Georgia Supreme Court, it seems: high school science teacher and construction manager in Ghana, Africa, as a member of the U.S. Peace Corps.

Later, as a student at Vermont Law School, he also earned a master’s degree in environmental science. Welch now has a government practice with Smith, Welch, Webb & White in McDonough and is a member of the Georgia House of Representatives.