i like to build things with my hands. whether physical or digital, i take pride in my work, even if it was built with a keyboard.

i had an early start with engineering, thanks to my father. as a boy, he passed down his jensen model 76 steam engine and erector set. paired with legos, i built steam-powered windmills and wind-up racecars.

my teenage years coincided with the release of world of warcraft. i didn't have a pc to play it on, so i hunted for used parts and installed a pirated version of windows xp. that's where it all started. building a pc felt like assembling lego pieces, and poking a hole in the windows firewall for battle.net felt like magic. i enrolled in dual credit courses and earned my associate's in integrated computer maintenance and networking technology, followed by a bachelor's in computer science, all while enlisted in the united states navy reserve as a gasoline and diesel mechanic.

the itch for education has never stopped, and i'm currently finishing my master's in computer science. i'm not sure what happens next but a european doctorate is looking mighty enticing right about now.