As a medical physicist, I have a lot of experience with hands on and theoretical STEM concepts and fields of study. Over the last several years, I have molded my knowledge base to fit a research oriented role in treating rare, but serious forms of debilitating muscular dystrophy in adolescent males. While this has been a rewarding endeavor, the fruits of my labor are subtle and occasionally difficult to grasp. The purpose of my decision to return to teaching and tutoring means, to me, to come back to my roots as an instructor and give back to the system which has given so much to me. I desire to foster a sense of joy and ambition in the STEM field for people of all academic backgrounds, not just scientists. In that, I see a reward unmatched by the pharmaceutical industry.

I began work in high school as a summer camp counselor. My greatest mentors were those who saved me from bullying at summer camp when I was in middle school. When I came of age, I aspired to be like one of those counselors. I served 6 consecutive summers as a counselor, teaching about wilderness survival, nature and ecology, reptiles, bugs, plants and a wide variety of outdoor skills. My knowledge of this material was fostered by my journey to obtain the rank of eagle scout in the BSA.

我去年在夏令营后,我决定I needed to commit harder to science in research if I was to have a successful career in physics. I transferred from Texas A&M, where I had been a physics and electrical engineering student for two years, to CU-Boulder, which had a prominent research oriented applied physics track called engineering physics. I enjoyed working with lasers and tutoring at CU. I met my fiancee in an honors fraternity that I was a part of at CU. We didn't get to know each other until we both ended up in the same genetics class, where I was trying to build coursework for what I thought would be medical school. In a rather unusual turn of events, medical school ended up turning into graduate school in medical physics.

I am currently a medical physics student at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland. I plan on improving medical imaging systems which utilize ionizing radiation for safer diagnostics in high risk pediatric patients. Upon completion of my PhD, I hope to become a professor so that I can continue my research and teach at the same time.

I truly have a passion for teaching and wish to continue that in any capacity. Even though I must split my time between research and teaching, I try to merge the two areas of interest together. In research settings, I am always driven to develop complex solutions to problems faced by the disadvantaged and disabled. In the classroom, I am also looking to help but in a fun, motivating and encouraging way. I believe that every student has the potential to be greater than me and I seek to discover ways to make that reality.