I pursued both the Computer Science and Business pathways in high school, which gave me a strong foundation in technical problem-solving alongside financial and business concepts. Over four years, I actively participated in FBLA, competing in Financial Statement Analysis and Data Analysis, which helped me develop skills in interpreting financial data and making data-driven decisions under pressure.

During my senior year, I was selected for the Forsyth Internship Program and secured a finance internship that lasted through the school year. This experience gave me hands-on exposure to real-world financial operations and deepened my interest in pursuing finance professionally.

In addition to these experiences, I started my own local business and developed financial analysis applications to support decision-making and streamline financial tracking. Applying my technical skills to real business challenges allowed me to see the direct impact of combining business knowledge with programming.

All of these experiences collectively shaped my academic and career goals and ultimately led me to pursue a business education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.