Personal

I was born in Columbus, Ohio and promptly moved to the Kansas City, Missouri area at the age of two. However, most of my life was spent in Overland Park, Kansas, which is a large suburb on the border between the two states. My high school years were consumed by marching band and speech/debate, both of which strongly shaped my personality and passions.

I attended New York University for my undergraduate career, where I double-majored in International Relations and Spanish/Linguistics. To call the transition “dramatic” would be an understatement. I easily learned as much outside of the classroom as I did in the classroom. I grew to love New York City and think about it often. (At least 15 seconds a day are spent pining for $5 chicken and rice from the halal food carts scattered around Manhattan.)

I went to Stanford University to earn my PhD. Initially skeptical of California, I grew to realize why everyone was so eager to stay in the state. The path to obtaining the PhD was filled with tremendous self-doubt, which I soothed with countless apple fritters that I bought at a local Palo Alto shop called Happy Donuts.

In what spare time I have, I watch too many TV shows and enjoy spending all the hours I can with my wife and newborn son.