My Story

Columbia, Maryland—Thursday, May 17, 2018

I have been fortunate to take advantage of the opportunities life and society have offered me and have made the most of them. I want children (and adults!) of District 12 and Maryland to have access to the opportunities I have had.

From an early age I have been fascinated by science and technology. In 1994, while in 8th grade, I checked out this book:

ARTIFICIAL LIFE

ARTIFICIAL LIFE [Levy, Steven] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. ARTIFICIAL LIFE

It spurred my interest in the various facets of the field that is today knows as “data science.” And it is a field I have worked in now for more than 15 years, at such places as the White House, the Federal Reserve, and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

After completing 10th grade, I started attending Miami University in Ohio on a dual-enrollment program for high school and college. In June of 1998, I graduated high school (despite barely having set foot on the campus for two years) and that fall I entered the University of Maryland with 57 credits—almost halfway to my bachelor’s Degree. Eventually, I earned a master’s degree from the University of Baltimore in public administration and a Ph.D. from UMBC.

Today I teach at UMUC while still searching for opportunities to further my education when I can. I consider education a gift and a platform for people to achieve mobility in society. Which is why I feel we need to make a wide range of educational opportunities open and accessible to all. And fully support our teachers and educators of all kinds, who are entrusted with a serious and solemn responsibility.

I did not grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth; I was never part of any sheltered social class. I believe my life’s path so far is a testament to my belief in education and in my desire to use education to make myself a better person.