As a kid I taught myself to program by creating new gaming experiences for myself and others. The coding then was simple, executed on free programs like Game Maker and RPG Maker, or through modding games like Call of Duty. I still remember the excitement of staying up late, watching as strings of code came together to create an action, a goal, a story. The games were fun in themselves, but it was the excitement of building something, of expressing my inner world in a new way, that got me hooked on programming.In high school I was able to take my first programming class and my projects increased in complexity as I learned new skills and improved my problem-solving abilities. I knew I loved what I was learning but didn’t know how to direct it into a career path until my teacher encouraged me to apply for an AP Computer Science course, which culminated in a degree in Computer Game Design. I had to adapt to various challenges in the process of acquiring my degree, but my desire to learn, improve, and master new skills became foundational to my work ethic for any new project. This has included not only game design but music, teaching, IT, computer science, physics, and mathematics. These diverse experiences have made me versatile, resourceful, and analytical when facing new challenges, regardless of the environment.