Programming was originally a way for me to bond with my Dad, who also works in the field. During high school I didn’t spend a lot of time doing side projects or learning about software. My only formal exposure came from a few Python classes. When it was time to choose a major nothing stood out to me more than Computer Science.

During my undergrad at Michigan State University, I did my best to experience all aspects of software. This is how I discovered that I love constantly learning new things and solving unique problems. My first internship was in a very corporate environment. While it was a valuable experience, I knew it wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to specialize in only one technology for the rest of my life when there are so many things to learn.

My path to Atomic Object was fairly unorthodox. Throughout my sophomore through senior year I worked towards getting into the Computer Science masters program at Michigan State. I applied for both the Master’s program and Atomic around the same time, and was accepted into grad school just days before getting an offer to join the Accelerator Program. I interned over the summer and found that I loved the culture at Atomic, which made me wish I had started out full-time.