I spent the first ten years of my life growing up in a small coastal town called Cambria. After that my folks moved to Paso Robles, where I lived until I finished high school. From Paso Robles High I moved to Santa Barbara and began a Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering at UC Santa Barbara. My time at UCSB was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The blending between parties, clubs, research excursions to other schools and intense studies help develop who I am today.
I finished my BS in 2003 and left my lucrative position with In-N-Out to go work for a small Engineering company called CerOx. I was the lucky 13th employee with helping design and assemble cerium nitrate bioreactors (http://www.cerox.com/systems_treatment.html). A little after a year of working I realized my limitations with only having a BS degree in engineering and decided to start graduate work.
I decided to go back for a Masters at Humboldt State (Eureka, CA) to study Environmental Engineering. My general focus was in optimization of groundwater modeling. My final thesis was a three dimensional simulation of the North Shore of Oahu, Ha. What is funny is that I built a theoretical model to help Oahu better manage their groundwater resources subject to the impacts of the ocean, but was never able to make it out to the island for a â€research†visit.
After finishing my master degree I realized that I enjoyed graduate work (especially compared to undergraduate work). I decided to apply to UCLA for a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering and just completed my first year. The PhD coursework has been rigorous, but I only have two more quarters left before I go on full time research. The best part about full time research is school becomes similar to a 9 to 5 job. The best part about a PhD in comparison to a master degree is that students actually earn a salary. The salary and tuition wavers make a huge difference, especially considering some people now graduate with just their BS and can end up owing 500 grand in student loans. If I can manage my money right, I should be able to be debt free and become a Dr. of engineering.
I am passionate about my area of study but it does not define me. I eat and breathe engineering 9 to 5 Monday through Friday but the rest of the time I try to stay as far away from it as possible and enjoy friends and the outdoors. Although I have to admit the first year PhD work has been a bit more time consuming than I would like it to be.
In my free time I enjoy some unusual hobbies: trap shooting, hiking (not really that odd), white water rafting, fencing, martial arts, and dancing. I am open to new things, after all you are only young once and when I am old I want to have some pleasant memories to look back on....
