Born and raised in North Hollywood, California, I come from a long line of artists, performers, creators, and clowns (quite literally). This creative upbringing trained me to look at the world in unique ways– always questioning, being questioned and digging for deeper meaning.
Early in life I adopted a deep love of history, and found that looking to the past was one of the most meaningful ways of exploring the human condition. One aspect of humanity that fascinated, and eluded me the most was the consistent presence of conflict in human civilization. The more I studied conflicts of the past, the greater my desire became to work to prevent and mitigate conflicts of the future. Setting my sights on diplomacy– an enduring goal– I knew that I would not only need to pursue its academic study, but also its practical application.
I joined the United States Army in 2016 out of a drive not only to learn about the conflict I one day hoped to prevent, but also a desire to serve. My experiences as an enlisted soldier opened the door to a world far broader, and more complex, than I had yet encountered in any of my studies.
As a Civil Affairs soldier, I found myself traveling the world, working in small teams to build civil resilience and infrastructure while de-conflicting military operations with civilian wellbeing. This was a trial by fire in the comprehensive field I would later come to know as human security.
As I worked in a multitude of environments across Europe and East Asia, I also began to learn how interconnected the population was with the land. Geospatial products were essential to understanding and executing my missions, and were the greatest tools in my team’s arsenal of addressing civil problems over wide areas with myriad factors at play.
Returning home after my time overseas, I found a renewed vigor for continuing my education. Finding the HSGI program only propelled that further. Here was the perfect blend of subjects that would allow me to explore both the theory and practice of human security through investigations of international relations, public policy and intelligence, while also developing practical skills in GIS technology, data acquisition and analysis. With this goal, I transferred to USC.
While here at USC I have been able to work towards my professional goals, explore my academic interests, and continue my creative endeavors. Academically, I have invested myself in HSGI, and taken on a History minor which complements the modern analysis of HSGI with the context of the past.
Professionally, I have been able to pursue a commission as an officer in the US Army through the ROTC program, and gained invaluable leadership and management experience in positions like that of Cadet Battalion Commander. Creatively, I have been able to take my experience and develop my interest in screenwriting, producing my first feature film which will soon be available to audiences across the U.S.
I hope to take all I have learned, and continue to explore, using my degree in HSGI as a solid foundation for a life of service, and do my part in creating actionable solutions to the worlds ever changing problems.
