I am a junior at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the School of Individual studies where I am learning about the ethical applications of AI and Data Science and Complex Systems in the Social Sciences with the goal of developing new socioeconomic models integrating complex systems theory. I have traveled a winding road to get here, I first set out to learn how to be a writer and went to Monroe Community College only to realize that the first thing a writer needs is something to write about, so then I set out to have a life. I found my way to selling pretzels (and so much more) at renaissance festivals, delivering pitas and pizzas, and selling everything from life insurance to cell phones. I even spent a few years in the wonderful world of IT for every device known to man, ranging from grandparents that need help with their smartphone to Blackboard system administrators who need help with the Linux server.When COVID shut down the world I was having a blast bartending and teaching people to throw axes. Thanks to the internet I never had to stop learning during my journey, and over the years I had grown increasingly interested in economics and politics. Specifically, I had become extremely interested in understanding why they both seemed to be failing so spectacularly. As I watched the world grind to a halt I remembered something I had been fascinated about years ago called Complex Systems Theory, and with a quick google search I discovered there were now PhD programs dedicated to the field. I realized I couldn't just keep living to survive, and thanks to the support of AccessVR I was able to plot a course towards that PhD. In less than three months I was back at Monroe Community College to start my journey. I transformed the half of a liberal arts degree that I had from my first attempt at college into an Individual Studies degree focused on political science and graduated with Honors and a 4.0 GPA. Then I discovered the School of Individual Studies at RIT, which has allowed me to pursual a dual major in Political Science so I can combine my studies of politics with the mathematics and programming skills needed to understand AI and Data science and adapt cutting edge AI tools to the social sciences.
