About me
I am a second-year Robotics Ph.D. at Oregon State University in the Robot Decision Making Laboratory, advised by Geoffrey Hollinger, an RIT computer science alum, an Army Veteran deployed with Special Forces, previous MBARI intern and a 3 time NASA intern. I have done multiple personal projects on topics I am interested in, such as robotics, computer vision, autonomous systems, and machine learning. I am pursuing research in the perception and control of multiagent robotics systems!
Here is some of my story:
On August 4th, 2020, I was suddenly shocked to hear a loud explosion. Shortly afterward, I received a call from my officer in command telling me to hurry to the Joint Operations Center. I did not realize that my life was about to change forever. I found out shortly after arriving that there had been a massive explosion in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon. As an intelligence analyst during deployment, I was attached to Special Operations Command Central, filling the roles of lead intelligence analyst and director of intelligence for a few areas of operation. “What had happened here?” and “Was everything going to be okay?” were thoughts going through my recently turned 21-year-old mind. I immediately began working to answer intelligence updates that had begun flooding in. Pivotal in this was the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Through their tasking, I got context for the current information and was awestruck at the platforms’ usefulness. I conducted port assessments using UAV imagery and gave all of my efforts to aid in humanitarian relief efforts.
I have been fascinated by autonomous robotics, which requires little overhead from a controller, and just how useful they can be during trying times. I am a first-generation college student, and during my first year as a computer science major, my grades dropped below my usual straight As. This was because I was unsure if I could even attend school the following semester. I did not qualify for student loans and had no one in my life who could cosign them either. I really felt the pressure that was put on individuals like myself in that system. When I nearly lost all hope, I discovered that I could join the Army National Guard to be able to afford school. I ended up being deployed six months after I finished training to a combat zone, where I even took online classes when I could through a remote satellite laptop, still pursuing my goals. (I got an A in linear algebra while overseas). The experience has also led me to become a 100% disabled VA veteran (at 21 years old).
It’s unfortunate that being underprivileged puts students across the nation in a similar situation, and some choose not to risk their lives. I believe that I am a better person because of it. I have learned a lot of contexts about life, learning leadership skills and self- responsibility at a younger age than most might. I knew that, at this point, my entire career was on my back every step of the way. I have been self-funded since then and managed to bring my 2 semesters’ 2.71 GPA to a 3.53 after military service and my final semester of classes, all while having to drive 8 hours to do weekly weekend training drills with my Army National Guard unit. When I am surrounded by some students who take their current situation for granted, I always try to have a conversation and remind everyone that they should be thankful for where they are and to work hard towards their goals.
I have seen through my tenacity that, just like with research, I can reach my destination if I break down the steps of the journey into feasible pieces. From the beginning, my tenacity has aided me as I grow my potential step by step. I am pursuing autonomous robotics as an extension of my undergraduate education in computer science to see my work come to life beyond the programs and algorithms I create. It is clear that graduate school is the next part of my journey in robotics research.
Research Interests: Robotics, Autonomous Systems, Perception, Guidance, Navigation, and Control
Get a PDF copy of my Resume here