Bio

Film:
Animation and the animator have always fascinated me. In pursuing my film degree, I not only focused on the technicalities of modern animation, but put a great deal of study into the history and culture of animation. As a senior, I even surveyed a large number of students on their favorite Disney princesses and then broke it down by major and gender. Mulan and Belle, the more feminist princesses, influenced by the writing of Linda Woolverton, were the strong favorites of the women. Jasmine was very strongly the favorite of the men, but perhaps that is just because they were able to identify more with Aladdin, the true Disney princess of the story. My work at a full-dome theater also enhanced my appreciation for the medium and provided technical training in a very unique graphics setting.

Robotics:
My father is an electrical engineer, so I was familiar with battery-run erector sets from an early age. Since my high school did not have a robotics team, I became one of the chief organizers and founders in creating a FIRST robotics team- Team 1466. As a rookie team, we were regional champions with myself as robot operator. Further, we won an Innovation award for the use of potentiometers in designing my controller. Once graduating high school, I continued to be active with FIRST robotics. I was a college mentor for my high school team and am now a referee at the Knoxville Regional every year. The Robotics team allowed me to learn C++ coding prior to college and to refine web programming skills in the creation of a Scouting Database so that my team could accurately assess competitors. Further, it provided additional familiarity with electronics for my hands-on college courses such as electrical engineering labs and EE senior design. As a freshman, I immiedately joined Student Engineers Reaching Out (SERO), Notre Dame's branch of Engineering Projects in Community Service(EPICS). Through the SERO program, I volunteered on both local and international projects. Topics included setting up databases and websites for non-profits, providing water distribution plans for African villages, and fixing and modifying electronics toys for disabled children.

Theater:
I began working behind-the-scenes in Theater when I was 14. I quickly moved up to ASM and then SM, producing one musical, one drama, and one miscellaneous play a year. When I went to college, I continued my theater career. In Fall of 2006, I joined the technical crew of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center(DPAC), a brand new 64 million dollar facility with five venues, including a THX certified theater. From running spot to light hang, I ATD'd for many professional shows, swapped gels, layed marley, and ran the sound or light board. My favorite job was always getting to don a harness and balance electrics in the grid seventy feet above the stage. A year after joining the crew of DPAC, I also began working as a student House Manager at Washington Hall, the location of the majority of student productions on campus. From working in the scene shop to holding down FOH and everything in between, I managed crowd control, held up the safety of the performers, worked box office, and put the facility to sleep in the evenings.

The Decio Theater 360 is an example of one of the tools I created to enhance our work performance. With a 360 degree viewing of the performance hall, professional groups were able to better prepare for the venue prior to arrival.