About Me

My Academic Background Before St. Olaf

In 2015, I joined a program called Dimensions Academy High School where select advanced students were able to take curated STEM classes at Normandale Community College. Over the course of my 4 years at Normandale, I amassed over 70 college credits, taking classes including Calculus IV, Physics, Abnormal Psychology, and Introduction to C. This experience is what kick-started my love for technology, and what motivated me to major in computer science. 

My Experience With Technology at St. Olaf

Over my time at St. Olaf, I gained more and more interest with the power of machine learning and AI and their applications. My curiosity began when I took an Artifical Intelligence course and used AI to determine if the popularity of a song can be determined by its intrinsic characteristics. This was the first time that I had crossed interdisciplinary boundaries in my studies, showing that it was possible for me to combine the things that I love. This theme continued in my Algorithms for Decision Making class, where I worked on a project that used a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to classify five different types of art, and further determine what factors of an input tensor can improve model accuracy. 

In my senior year, the theme of combining my passions continued with my capstone project, where my team and I worked on utilizing  Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to help composers with the compositional process by generating continuations on already-composed melodies. My journey at St. Olaf has not only sharpened my technical skills and deepened my understanding of AI and machine learning, but also instilled in me a robust passion for leveraging these technologies to bridge various disciplines, revealing the seamless integration and immense potential of AI in enhancing diverse fields of study and creativity. 

My Musical Journey

In the 5th grade, I picked up the saxophone, joining my sisters in the band world. I explored all four types of saxophones in middle school, finally settling on alto for high school. In 8th grade, I followed deeper in my sisters' footsteps and joined the marching band, eventually becoming a section leader for two years and rank lieutenant in my senior year.

In junior year of high school, I secured 2nd chair at MMEA’s All-State Band, performing on both Alto and Soprano saxophones. My senior year was marked by winning the Earl C. Benson Concerto Competition, where I played the first movement of David Maslanka’s 'Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Fire in the Earth'. This afforded me the opportunity to perform with the Medalist Band and connect with Prof. Jerry Luckhardt.

At St. Olaf, despite an initial setback in band placement, my commitment to music motivated me to become principal saxophonist of the St. Olaf Band by my senior year. This period also solidified my interest in music composition. Under the guidance of Dr. Timothy Mahr, I delved deeper into composition, culminating in my participation in the summer CURI program, Sounding Our Times: Composing a Musical Response to Today's Challenges. I presented this piece, Thoughts and Prayers, at a open research symposium on campus, and then performed it with the St. Olaf Band at Orchestra Hall in May. I have also composed saxophone quartets, works for piano, and other band pieces, one of which was read by the Medalist Band. Also during my senior year, I organized my senior recital where I performed with my quartet and pianist. 

My Artistic Endeavors

I have always loved making art. In the 3rd grade, I drew flowers on notebook paper and sold them for 25 cents a pop. This blossomed my creative side, and soon I was drawing and doodling without the need for financial compensation. Another important event to spur my interest in art also happened in the 3rd grade: learning cursive. Cursive quick-started my obsession with typography, which later effloresced into my fascination with calligraphy and illuminated letters. I started drawing illuminated letters in high school, giving some to my friends but keeping most for myself. Later on, I discovered that it was possible to hide more complex shapes in the illuminated letters themselves, allowing me to draw letters more tailored to someone's passions and interests. You can check out my latest art here.