I was born in Lowell, MA to a large middle class family with 8 children, with an insatiable curiosity about the world, and quickly became fascinated with computers. I got my first computer, an old, used Commodore 64, when I was about 12 years old, and started teaching myself how to program, and when I saw the power of iteration for the first time, I was hooked. A simple “GOTO” loop written in BASIC was all I needed to fall in love, and start writing programs. I took a number of computer science classes in high school and college, but have mostly taught myself online, and began freelancing in the early 2000s while working at the local Boy’s and Girl’s club teaching kids a wide variety of computer skills. I took somewhat of a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, and used that time to master new skills, read proficiently about the latest developments in artificial intelligence, and to take my time and carefully choose my next career move, which led me here!