Although I was born in the United States (Ames, IA), in most ways I am Ecuadorian: I grew up in Ecuador from ages 3 to 20, my entire family is Ecuadorian, my first language is Spanish, and I have an irrational obsession with ceviche de camarón, colada morada, and mountains.

Before my career in astronomy, I used to study music in college. In 2012 I started attending the Berklee College of Music where I majored in Jazz (guitar) performance. Around this time I became interested in amateur astronomy. I quit music school in the middle of my fourth year in order to pursue a career in astronomy and astrophysics.

This is how I ended back in Ames, IA, where I obtained my B.S. in physics (at Iowa State University) before starting my graduate studies at Michigan.

Click here to check out some of my music

Click on the title to check out photographs from some of my trips (mostly to Africa).