Stanford Graduation 2022

NameTag in my current lab :) (I used to love Power Rangers)

Summer Social with Social Learning Lab 2021

My Brother and I

Spring Social with Language and Cognition Lab 2023

Fake Graduating during my Covid Gap-Year with my Close Friends

My Brain :)

I am Holding a SlimJim

Sarah (Superstar RC Friend) and I

Hangout with the Devo Research Coordinators (Repping SLL,LangCog,SoC)

Spring Social with Social Learning Lab Lab 2022

Background

I was born and raised in Illinois, and spent most of my time growing up in Plainfield. I was frequently between two households, one with my single father and another with my mother, stepfather, older half-brother, and younger half-sister. After my mother and stepfather divorced, I spent far less time with my father and was moved between 5 homes over a 6-year period between elementary school and early high-school. These transitions were also paired with concerns about financial security, my family’s well-being, and my sexuality. The turbulence, tension, and underlying causes of these transitions often felt impairing, but I was still able to grow into a young adult who had many close friends, could care for himself & others, often worked a job while taking advanced classes, and “succeeded” enough to end up at Stanford University as a First-Generation college student. My “model” of the world looks very different from others’ models (and vice-versa), so how do we learn from and adapt to our unique circumstances? My personal context informs many of my interests and guides my approach to my work: one that is compassionate, authentic, and in-service of my communities and others who have also wanted life to feel even just a li’l less heavy.

Other Fun Facts

• My siblings and I all have different fathers, so I am both the “Middle” child, and an only child :)

• I have an extensive background in the service industry, including 3 years at a Panera Bread, 1 year as a waiter at Johnston’s SaltBox (if you’re in the Bay, Go - top tier Brunch), and 1 year as a Barista at StarBucks during COVID. I’m very proud of my service industry background and like to believe I’m both a better person and worker for it!

• When I was much younger, I played Wizard101 and somehow found myself as an admin on a Community Wiki Website for the game. I did this through High School and really thought I would study Computer Science because of it. I was wrong :] (but was able to pick up some useful front-end skills)

• As a child, I thought being a Power Ranger would be really cool. I now have a Black Belt in Taekwondo, but I am still not a Power Ranger!
  

Personal Interests

I welcome chats about any of these fun things!

Music: And I mean listening, I have absolutely no musical talent to speak to! Beyoncé is my number 1, I love her music and love getting to experience her art (attended Formation World Tour in May 2016 and Renaissance in August 2023). Other music favs: Dermot Kennedy, Chloe, FLO, Doja Cat, Doechii, Omar Apollo, Jazmine Sullivan, & Jeremy Zucker.

Cooking: My mother and father have always been incredible cooks, and from an early age I wanted to be a chef (though, my grandmother told me this was only a hobby). I (and most of my immediate family) take great pride in cooking and enjoy trying and improvising new recipes. Perhaps my favorite form of relaxation :)

Movies & Shows: Big Little Lies, The Boys, The Real HouseWives, Vanderpump Rules, Modern Family, Horror Movies (Jeepers Creepers, A NightMare on Elm Street, Halloween, Get Out, The Menu, House of Wax), Pretty Little Liars, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Small Soldiers, Shrek 2

Childhood Favorites: Power Rangers, Pokémon, Elmo, Barney, Scooby Doo, Krypto the Superdog, Max & Ruby, Bakugan, Strawberry Shortcake, Kid Cuisine, Naruto, Furby