I never imagined I would be where I am today. Going into college, I wholeheartedly believed I would play professional basketball overseas then retire and become a sneaker designer. As I studied computer science and played Division III basketball at Calvin University, I learned that plans are subject to change.

I didn’t take my first step into the world of software until my sophomore year of college. At the time, my passion for video games was fueling my curiosity around programming. By way of YouTube I found an old, customizable fighting game engine called MUGEN, and it quickly became a personal project. Eventually, I decided to put my dream of making sneakers on the back burner.

After interning at Atomic prior to my senior year, my perspective on life after school began to change. My main focus was no longer to find a job – it was to find a place that I could grow. I realized that I was more than an athlete, fueling a drastic shift in my priorities.

In the months leading up to my graduation, I found that my true passion is creating opportunities to provide meaningful value to others. I’ve always had an aptitude for breaking down complex problems and building thoughtful, creative solutions. It seems that software has become the crossroads for my purpose, ability, and intuition.

It’s exciting to be back in a place where I can not only leverage this skill set, but learn to expand it even more.