I got my first computer shortly before I went to high school, my dad bought an old decommissioned machine from his workplace. My brother who knew I loved action movies told me that he turned it on and a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger from Predator flashed momentarily on screen. That was the beginning of my journey down the rabbit hole, in search of Arnold. 3 years later I had written my first complete program in Pascal as part of a school project. Along the way I had learned Basic, C, and Visual Basic.My search for Arnold only grew stronger with each new programming language or technology that I learned. In college, I discovered HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP and this fueled an even bigger fire, it was the best of both worlds, backend coding and front end design. This passion is what carried me through getting a Master’s degree in Information Systems. It’s what led me to be a part of LSU’s first ever bioinformatics lab, to be a part of the team that built the crayfish supercomputer (ranked top 500 in the world), to develop one of the first international mobile money wallet systems. It’s what drove me to try get Alexa to pronounce a Kenyan name, and it’s what’s going to get me to teach Alexa to start my car, take that KITT!My passion for technology and its role in the evolution of mankind is what keeps me learning every day. It’s what keeps me open to adopting new and old, admitting when I’m wrong and when change is inevitable. I’ve also learned how to get out of my own way. Whether, it’s local tech and non tech meetups, volunteering in kids’ code boot camps, or convincing someone that I can totally fix anything with a keyboard, duct tape and some cable ties, technology is part of who I am. What are you doing to further technology in your life and industry? Feel free to connect and let me know!