This page contains some information on my background and hobbies. It might seem strange to share these details, but I believe that knowing just a little bit about a person goes a long way towards being comfortable enough to ask for help, attend office hours, or even just make small talk with them before/after class. In my own experiences as a student, I found it easy to view my professors almost as if they were aliens from another planet, but the reality is that they are human beings that I had a lot in common with.

To begin, I currently live in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati with my wife Alissa and my 1-year old son Fulton. I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago before spending a number of years in few different locations across Iowa.

In my younger days I was competitive in many sports (football, basketball, track) and I currently spend the small amount of leisure time that I have lifting weights (more-so pre-COVID) and running. I follow a twice per week upper-lower split and run on the other days (or more if I feel like it and have the time). I was varsity cross country runner at Augustana College and, while I’m not nearly as fast as I used to be, I still enjoy running a race or two each year. The picture of me comes from the 2017 Sno-fun-run, a race I’ve ran with old cross country teammates every January for several consecutive years.

Some of my other hobbies include: listening to music, my two all-time favorites are “Ocean Avenue” and “Mr. Brightside”, but I’ve lately been on an Alkaline Trio kick. I also enjoy solving crossword puzzles, playing trivia, following the Green Bay Packers and Iowa Hawkeyes, and watching/listening to documentaries or true crime shows or Podcasts like FBI files, Forensic Files, Masterminds, etc.