It takes initiative to turn dreams into reality. I saw the brand benefits a student driven podcast could provide to our Northwestern University Segal Design Institute. In the summer of ‘23, I convinced our leadership to fund the podcast. Partnering with my colleague, Casey Russell, we hired diverse and talented team of students. I helped the team navigate the process of securing a recording venue, determining distribution methods, and formulating project management practices. During the academic year 2022-23, the team delivered an 9 episodes.

As a lifelong learner, I built up my technical capabilities by investing in myself. I completed the rigorous Master’s in Data Science curriculum at Northwestern University in Spring ‘23, specializing in technology entrepreneurship. Along with Bala Kamallakharan, founder of Startup Iceland and Co-Founder of Dattaca Labs and Iceland Venture Studio, I co-authored “New Product Development for Start-Ups”, a course which we co-taught in the Northwestern Master’s in Data Science program in Spring ‘23 and will teach again in Fall ‘23.

Achieving big goals professionally and personally requires daily discipline. Finishing can be difficult - as marathoners say, the race begins at 20 miles. Marathoning training schedules span 3-4 months, culminating in 20+ mile long runs. I completed 20 full marathons (26.2 mile, 42 km) in the US, Canada, and Iceland including the 2013, 2016, and 2017 Reykjavik Marathons.