First and foremost, game design is my passion. As I've grown from a little gamer kid to a full-grown nerd, I've always loved games. Whether through level editors, Dungeons & Dragons, or game engines like Unity, my priority has always been to create fun and interesting play experiences for myself and others. I also love analyzing the games I play, trying to reverse-engineer why I have so much fun playing my favorite games.

Throughout my educational career, I have demonstrated leadership and cooperation. Whether founding my high school’s first Game Design Club, or putting in long after-school hours as captain of the robotics team, I have learned the difficulties and discipline involved in guiding a group toward a common goal. Dedicating 3 years of college to the Video Game Development Club and climbing my way to the position of President, I have experienced challenges that could only be solved through cooperation and communication to achieve a shared vision. These opportunities have equipped me with the skills and understanding to perform to the best of my abilities, whether as an apprentice, a colleague, or a leader.

I’ve grown my game development skills through hands-on experience. Through personal projects, game jams, and quarterly game projects in the VGDC, I am actively expanding my portfolio and skillset. By repeatedly challenging myself with design problems, short solo projects, and analyzing the design decisions in the games I play, I am constantly improving both my ability to improve the player’s experience, as well as to make more informed decisions that keep the game’s design in scope for programmers, artists, and other teammates to implement.

However, success does not come without failure. I've learned as much from the projects that I failed to complete as the ones I've finished. Through trial and error I've learned how to scope a project, and what happens when a project is overscoped, and I've learned that if the entire team doesn't share the same vision of what a game is supposed to be, it's incredibly difficult to keep a team on track. These challenges have taught me so much about sound game design and the importance of good communication, and I wouldn't be half the developer I am without these "failures."