Pronouns: he/him 
Graduation year: 2018 
Hometown: Orinda, California 
Currently living in: Chicago, Illinois 
Current occupation: Senior Research Scientist at the Chicago Blackhawks 

What was your experience like at CC as a Computer Science major? 

Being a Computer Science major at CC was a great experience. The professors built relationships with each of the students and were always accessible for help. That access was very important for my development throughout the years of the program. Our group of classmates were very driven, focused, and fun to be around. Most of us took all the same blocks and learned how to study and work on projects together. They really made my time at CC enjoyable. 

Why were you interested in focusing on computer science as your major? 

I grew up in a setting where I was surrounded by computers; both of my parents work in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), a computational approach to mapping. I thought having rooms full of computers was normal, even in the late 1990s. In school, I always enjoyed my math classes and math was my strongest subject without a doubt. Before enrolling at CC, I was fortunate enough to take a few gap years and play junior hockey in Canada. My dad suggested I look into taking courses in computer science and I quickly became captivated by the field. 

How are you using your major in your post-CC life? 

After graduating from CC, I received my PhD from the University of Waterloo studying multiagent systems and reinforcement learning, subfields of artificial intelligence (AI). During my PhD, I worked on many collaborative research projects and completed an internship at SonyAI, an AI research lab within Sony. I am currently a Senior Research Scientist with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). My research consists of using multiagent systems and algorithms from the broader AI literature to help evaluate players and teams across multiple dimensions.