About Me

I am inspired by the belief that technology has the potential to level barriers to access and provide transparency to complex collaboration, ultimately shifting the zero-sum mentality we have today. I am passionate about open source knowledge systems. Tools like the Internet Archive are for the future what Voyager is to the unknown. Collective intelligence makes knowledge better by opening the process of knowledge creation to criticism and veracity, both creating space and removing barriers for collective stewwardship.

In 8th grade, I received a "Don't Hide Your Smarts Award" after a school transfer - an ironic achievement for being a mediocre student. This began a journey of self-discovery and questioning societal norms. My love for storytelling was ignited in 11th grade when I discovered One Piece.

After high school, my path took unexpected turns. Initially dreaming of becoming an audio engineer in Spartanburg, South Carolina, financial constraints led me to community college. This detour introduced me to computer engineering through my friend Anthony Munoz.

At Clemson, despite academic struggles and loneliness, I found a community that believed in me. Special thanks to Bekk and Lorenzo for legitimizing my early coding endeavors.

My career path included stints at a startup, research at Clemson's TRACE Lab, and attendance at a coding bootcamp. When traditional paths proved challenging, I turned to Twitter, where I discovered Black Tech Pipeline. This led me to explore open source technologies and decentralized systems, where I found my passion for building tools that make technology more accessible and knowledge more open.