I've been making music for quite a long time. I started playing on the trumpet, which I was introduced to by my grandfather. I played trumpet on and off for a long time, also playing the piano occasionally. I officially started in fourth grade when I joined my school's band. I started on alto saxophone and played for four years, performing in school concerts and in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. When COVID came on I continued playing, switching over to online lessons. I continued on the saxophone until I was told by my teacher that he couldn't take me any further and that I could either find another teacher to continue with or that I could switch instruments. I decided to keep working with him but switch over to the trumpet, which was daunting but also exciting. During my freshman year of high school I joined the concert band and, after the seating audition, ended up being placed as second chair trumpet playing the first trumpet parts. The following year I auditioned for the Wind Ensemble and played second chair trumpet in it for the following two years. I joined the Jazz ensemble in my junior year, playing anywhere from second to fifth trumpet. In my final year of Wind Ensemble I became the first chair trumpet, also acting as section leader.

Outside of the classroom I have also had a lot of experience. In my sophomore year I got the wonderful opportunity to perform in the pit orchestra of my school's fall musicals. I have played in three productions ("9 to 5", "Shrek the Musical", and "Cabaret") alongside professional trumpet player Barry Gilbrech and many others.

I started playing badminton in freshman year. I had played basketball through middle school but didn't make the team in high school, so I was looking for a new sport. We had a badminton unit in PE that I really enjoyed, so a friend and I ended up working on our skills and trying out for the team. We not only made the team but made varsity as well, playing as the boys doubles third team.  My partner and I went nearly undefeated that season, only being beaten once. The next season I ended up playing in mixed doubles two, where we won about half our games, and ultimately ended up playing boys doubles one in my junior year. I have also competed in two regional high school tournaments, reaching the semifinals in my junior year. While it is unofficial, I have been told by my coaches that it is highly likely that I will be team captain in my senior year.

Even though I have a whole other page on this topic, it wouldn't be right to talk a bit about my backstory and how I got here. My whole tech journey started when I was quite young. I mostly experimented with Scratch as well as code.org, making simple programs out of block code. I enrolled in my first course in fifth grade, a simple after-school coding class offered by my school. It ran off of the Scratch platform and taught us how to build some simple games and programs. From there I went on to learn Ruby and Python through Codecademy before deciding to take AP CS A through my high school, skipping AP CS P because of my prior knowledge of coding fundamentals as well as Python. Through AP CS A I learned Java and other various coding principles. I also got involved in the TeenTechSF hackathon at the recommendation of my teacher. It was held entirely online due to COVID, but I was matched with four people, two of whom dropped out in the first twenty minutes. The other person and I decided to make a Chrome extension that would help combat gender dysphoria. It ultimately ended up winning first prize in the competition and I decided to keep it going afterwards, where it became Transcend. After that I continued my academic computer science journey, enrolling in CIS 137 and CIS 380 at my local community college. I also took multiple other online courses, from HTML to cybersecurity, as well as continuing to work on personal projects. 

I joined Scouts BSA as a Cub Scout in Pack 27 in San Mateo, with Webelos being my starting rank. I shortly after earned the Arrow of Light award and graduated into Troop 44, another local Scouts BSA troop. I slowly worked my way up through the ranks, eventually earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Throughout my time in Scouts I went on trips that involved everything from axe throwing to whitewater rafting. I also held multiple leadership positions as well, serving as Patrol Leader for two terms, Assistant Patrol Leader for two terms, Historian for one term, and Webmaster for seven consecutive terms. I attended Camp Chawanakee, the council's summer camp, two times, working to earn merit badges and honing various scouting skills. For my Eagle Project I replaced four worn-down benches at St. Timothy Catholic church in San Mateo, CA.