I was born in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., raised on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., and have worked in most major metropolitan areas, including New York City, New York; Washington D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; Tallahassee/Miami, Florida, and Charlotte/Raleigh-Durham/Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.A. My data science unicorn skillset is given by:

• a B.S. in Mathematics from Chicago State University (CSU)

• an M.S. in Applied Statistics & Analytics from Kennesaw State University (KSU)

• an M.B.A. in Finance & Risk Management from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)

• and A.B.D. status in Computational Data Science & Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technology State University (NCAT)

My business school is one of few STEM-certified, AACSB-accredited business schools in New York State, and my STEM graduate degrees are from universities classified as R2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing them in the top 6% of U.S. universities.  

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Cyber Defense & A.I. lab led by Dr. Kaushik Roy @ NCAT. My research interests in artificial intelligence focus on ethical A.I. along the A.I. equity, diversity, and inclusion spectrum. You can find out more about my research here.

Most of my interests outside of academia center on learning experiences and foster my intellectual growth. They include international travel and cultural immersion, exploring museums and the arts worldwide, laughing and playing with friends and animals, and taking calculated risks in nature.