I was raised in the DC area, graduated from UC Santa Cruz with my bachelor’s in astrophysics and a minor in applied mathematics, and completed my master’s and PhD in astrophysics from Harvard. As a researcher, I had the opportunity to travel the world using the most powerful telescopes available to study what the “air” is like on other worlds in other star systems. I love math, physics and programming, but most of all, I love connecting and learning with others.

This wasn’t always the case, and I struggled a lot in math and science growing up. It was difficult for me to make connections between different concepts, and any connections that I could make between the material and my own life seemed tenuous at best. However, a retired Naval astronomer who lived in my neighborhood would bring his telescopes to the community pool parking lot to host star parties. Looking through a telescope for the first time sparked my curiosity about space and our place in it. I began engaging more with both the material at my school and with my teachers.

In the process of putting more effort into my math, astronomy, and physics courses, I also developed my skills as a critical thinker and as a communicator. This was the connection that I had been looking for, and it is why I am dedicated to sharing my love of math and science with others. The analytical skills required to break down complex problems into simpler steps that can then be composed together and presented in a coherent fashion are real life skills that apply far outside the classroom. I have devoted myself to fostering this growth mindset in the students that I have had the pleasure of tutoring, supporting, and mentoring during my undergraduate and graduate school tenure and at AJ Tutoring.

As an undergraduate at UCSC, I had the opportunity to provide teaching and mentorship support over three years for the nationally recognized Academic Excellence Program (ACE), which is dedicated to increasing the diversity of students in STEM. As a graduate student, I worked as a teaching fellow for three astronomy courses, where I leveraged a flipped classroom philosophy to engage active learning; I supported the planning and running of an independent stellar evolution course for summer program students as part of the Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators Professional Development Program (ISEE PDP), which prioritizes inquiry-based learning; and I started and co-led the Harvard chapter of theopenlabs.org, a science outreach organization dedicated to sharing cutting edge research in a fun, digestible manner with the general public.

Outside of the classroom, I like stargazing, participating in science outreach and open source initiatives, rowing, and playing beach volleyball.