About Me

My Background

I'm a software engineer and graduate student trying to understand the technology that runs the world.

I like technology! I think that an understanding of technology is key to being an independent, competent, capable citizen in the 21st century. I feel deeply that I cannot truly understand the world around me if I don't strive to understand the computers that it runs on. That is the philosophy that drove me to study programming and related disciplines. Beyond simply learning the discipline of software engineering for the sake of producing business value, I have an anxious desire to learn the details of what's going on under the hood. How do electrical pulses in a far-flung data center become Breaking Bad streaming on my TV at home? I've learned a lot, but I have more than a lifetime's worth of stuff still to learn. Not knowing how an important technology works makes me uneasy.

I'm very interested in religion. I spent a lot of my university electives on classes covering Judaism, Islam, and various sects of Christianity. I love reading scholarly works about any and every religion, including my own. I love books and films and other artworks of speculative religious fiction or spiritual memoir. I'm fascinated by all sorts of doctrines, liturgies, cultures, and histories.

If you ask any of my friends about me, it won't be long before Star Wars comes up. This saga has claimed an embarrasing amount of my time and money. Like most Star Wars fans, I have a love-hate relationship with the franchise and some opinions that would probably baffle you.

I love movies and I try to be cultured beyond my addiction to Star Wars. My favorite films include La La Land, Goodfellas, and more recently, One Battle After Another. See more on my Letterboxd!

Professional Background

I'm currently pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems with an emphasis in Software Engineering at Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Business. I've worked in various software engineering roles, from internships at Melaleuca to leading backend development at BYU Law School.