My Story
Zip Codes
I've called many zip codes home, but it all began with 12189—Watervliet, NY. A small, blue-collar town where the south end was once alive with factories and the north end stood proud with the Watervliet Arsenal—the Army’s oldest active arsenal and the nation’s only cannon factory. Some folks swore the north end was the “better” side, but truthfully, the town’s spirit was everywhere. Its roots were planted in the grit and pride of everyday people, woven deep into the soil I grew up on.
The Words Behind the Nerd
One Wild, Crazy Summer
In the summer of 2000, I earned my Master of Science in Technical Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). With my diploma in hand, I stood at a crossroads: stay in the familiar place where I’d grown up, or take a leap into the unknown and join a large software company in Oregon.
Up until then, my life felt like a string of “nevers”—I had never…
- Flown on an airplane
- Eaten sushi
- Traveled west of Pennsylvania
I often felt like my world moved too slowly—I craved adventure and challenges beyond what I had already known. The choice was easy.
Falling in Love with the Pacific Northwest
With Mount Hood towering in my backyard and evergreens cutting into the skyline, the future felt wide open. At last, I could put to use the skills I had sharpened through undergraduate and graduate study, along with the lessons from my internships, and channel them into what I hoped would become a fulfilling career. I was eager to learn from seasoned industry veterans while also navigating uncharted waters alongside fellow newcomers.
I had found my own Rock of Gibraltar—a sense of steadiness I hadn’t known before. Rooted in the Pacific Northwest, I was building a tech career and finally beginning to cross items off my long list of “nevers.”
Hazy Shade of Winter
Life leaves us with memories—and scars. In March 2004, I said goodbye to Oregon, leaving behind the first professional role that had brought me to the Beaver State. The post-9/11 economy was uncertain, so I wasn’t shocked, but I was deeply sad. Oregon had become my sanctuary, a place where I could finally be myself. In the years that followed, I would take on roles across the country—building my résumé, forging new memories, and, inevitably, collecting a few more scars along the way.
In the summer of 2008, I returned to Oregon, and with it came a rekindled love for the state that had quietly claimed a piece of my heart—the place I had always known as home. Five years later, opportunity led me to Washington, and I’ve been building my life there ever since—another chapter in a journey shaped by change, growth, and new beginnings.
Hope Springs Eternal
As I wade into the second half of my career, I carry both hope and curiosity for the journeys yet to come. The same zest for life that propelled me west in my 2000 Patriot Blue Dodge Neon—Rand McNally Atlas in hand, driving from upstate New York to Oregon—still fuels me today.
I hope to embrace and harness the challenges that Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) present.
I hope to keep learning and creating content that guides users forward, one clear step at a time.
And I hope the next 25 years are as thrilling as that day I waved goodbye to everything familiar and embraced all that I had yet to learn and become.