Personal History

I don't like to share too much personal information, but I am glad to share some of my personal history.  It gives some insight into my motivations, and demonstrates my resiliency.

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Early Years (up to age 18)

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Sparing many details, my early life was especially unusual, and gave me ample opportunity to see from many perspectives.  During those first seventeen years, I relocated at least six times, to a new residence each time, and lived with a total of over ten different extended family members (at various times).  Consequently, I attended six different public schools spanning three cities and two states.  Still, I did quite well in my studies.  Situations may change, but I always adapt and find a way to learn and contribute.

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My family always managed to carve out a good life, but was never wealthy.  So I was incredibly grateful that they found a way to fund my travel to Europe, on a group trip organized by my high school.  I returned from the trip ready to begin my senior year, a busy course schedule full of advanced placement (AP) classes, but found that I had gotten quite ill.  After some blood tests, I found out I had end stage renal failure.

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The origin of my kidney problems was (and is) not clear.  [Though may be related to a high fever I experienced prior to my travels.]  Nevertheless, I needed to begin treatment immediately and attend to my health first, which meant missing essentially half of my senior year.  When I returned, my schedule was beyond busy: I was working extra hard to make up for lost time in all of my AP classes, I had to take two classes during night school on Tuesday and Thursday nights in order to graduate on time, and I needed to receive dialysis treatments on remaining weeknights.

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Later Years (age 18 and up)

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Somewhat to my surprise, I actually made it to high school graduation and even received an award for achievement in mathematics.  I also earned college credit based on (most) of my AP test scores.  So I entered the University of New Mexico quite strong, initially majoring in mechanical engineering.  I soon switched to double majoring in physics and applied math, after careful examination of the coursework and consideration of what I really wanted to learn.

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My medical difficulties had not concluded, though.  I had to take a leave from the university so that I could receive and recover from a kidney transplant, instead of attending my first Spring semester.  With a successful operation completed, I re-entered the university that Summer and went on to finish my double major in a total of five years.  Along the way, I worked as a tutor for two semesters, then joined a particle physics lab and worked on various projects there for two years.  When I have a goal, like learning all I can about physics or earning my double major bachelor's degree, I will reach it no matter the circumstances.

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While often reminded of my medical history, it was no longer such a tenuous situation by the time I was considering graduate school.  Fueled by the focus on many-body interactions, fascinating new technologies, and wide applicability, I aimed to study theoretical condensed matter physics.  More about my research can be found in other areas of this site.  Personally, my PhD studies and dissertation represent a huge success -- I managed to overcome my medical difficulties and financial shortcomings to enter the "ivory tower," sharpen my hard and soft skills, and complete several challenging theoretical projects.

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Now, I intend to use my scientific training to benefit society at large.  Details about my interests, career aspirations, and motivations can be found elsewhere on this site.  I am very interested in concrete applications of my skillset to drive society forward, whether in research or other areas.