ABOUT ME
I’m a maker who explores the intersections of robotics, interactive design, and industrial design.
I’m a firm believer in chasing my curiosity. It'll fly me across the Atlantic to pursue my bachelor’s, bike me through France to examine Ice Age caves, or take me into the workshops after hours to learn to lathe. It’s all because I keep asking myself questions of “why is it that way?” or “how was this made?” I might have no experience to start, but I try and fail and practice until I can get things to work.
My long-term ambition is to create the best environment I can for people to learn. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, steeped in technology, and it made me realize that people can get easily intimidated by the complexity of tech. I want to break down tech via great design and great education. Like a magician, I love having that “wow” moment when someone sees my work. But, I want to take people behind the curtain and show them the backstage, so they understand it’s not magic fueling these creations.
I'm currently based in Helsinki, Finland, where I work as a research assistant for Aalto Design Factory while I complete my bachelor's thesis in design.
If you don't find me down in the workshops, I'm most likely practicing ballroom dance in an empty classroom, hopping on a cheap flight to an unexplored bit of the EU, or secondhand shopping for power tools (newest acquisition: a plasma cutter!)
SKILLS
· Digital Fabrication
— 3D printing (FDM, SLS, SLA)
— Laser cutting (CO2, Fiber)
— Waterjet cutting
· Traditional Fabrication
— Welding (TIG, MIG)
— Basic woodworking
— Silicone casting
— Glass flameworking
— Sewing
· Adobe Suite — Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom
· CAD — Autodesk Fusion360, SolidWorks, Rhino
· Programming — Java, Scala, Python
· Electronics — Arduino, RaspberryPi, KiCAD
EXPERIENCE
Research Assistant / Aalto Design Factory
Jun 2023 - present · Espoo, Finland
Fabricating parts for students, staff, and professionals using 3D printing, laser cutting, waterjet cutting, paper printing, and vinyl cutting.
Teaching Assistant / Aalto ARTS Summer School
May 2023 - Aug 2023 · Espoo, Finland
Produced parts and posters for student teams and took documentary photographs for a summer course about wood-based architecture.
Jewelry Pop-Up Shop (self-employed)
Nov 2022 · Espoo, Finland
Sold a total of 35 items for €521 as part of a three-day, student-led Christmas sale.
Graphic Design Intern / National Museum of American Diplomacy
Aug 2020 – Jun 2021 · Washington, DC, USA (Remote)
Designed 8 educational packets, each with 20+ pages of graphics and content, for the Discover Diplomacy simulation program, which debuted to an estimated 3000+ high school and college students nationwide.
CAD Virtual Education Resource Developer / CR Ciencia & Robótica
Sep - Dec 2020 · Quito, Ecuador (Remote)
Developed a month-long, Spanish-language computer-aided design (CAD) course in Autodesk Fusion 360 for students aged 16+.
Robotics Teaching Assistant / Archbishop Mitty High School
Jul 2017, Jul 2018 · San Jose, CA, USA
Guided groups of middle schoolers in constructing, wiring, and programming a robot chassis.
EXHIBITIONS
Oct 2023
Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, NL
Sep 2023
Helsinki Design Week, Helsinki, FI
MEDIA
GRANTS & AWARDS
Jan 2024
Yrjö Ja Senja Koivusen Säätiön Opiskelijastipendit (Yrjö and Senja Koivunen Foundation Student Scholarships)
— Award Amount: €2000
— Reference: Prof. Kalevi “Eetu” Ekman
Jun 2023
Aalto University Department of Art and Media Grant
— Award Amount: €750
— Reference: Prof. Teemu Leinonen
EDUCATION
2021 - 2025
Design (BA)
Aalto University · Espoo, Finland
2019 - 2020 (transferred)
Product Design (BS)
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN, USA