I was born and raised in Rock Island Illinois, a small city which is part of a larger metropolitan area of the Quad Cities. The Quad Cities, which is more my home than any one city, is an area on the Illinois/Iowa border, divided down the middle by the Mississippi river. I started school very early, attending a Montessori Pre School for a couple of years before Kindergarten then attending a fantastic grade school called Horace Mann Choice elementary. It was during this time that I really developed an interest in art as well as my early fascination with computers. I got much of my early drawing experience doodling monsters and aliens on long rolls of old computer printer paper in after school programs. During my junior high years I took some of my first formal art classes, and during the summers I was able to attend a summer program at Black Hawk College (the local community college) called College for Kids where I took a mix of science and art classes. It was here that I took my first serious interest in computer programming - an interest which would be very influential in the course of my life. I took a programming course in QBasic where we learned extremely rudimentary programming concepts.

I attended Rock Island High School where I really began to become aware of and a part of the art scene. I took art classes as often as I could fit them into my schedule and I participated in many gallery shows and art competitions. I also continued my interest in computers and programming, taking programming courses in Java and C++. It was also during this time that these two interests finally began to coalesce. Around my sophomore year I obtained a copy of Photoshop Elements and began to teach myself. I would spend hours reading tutorials and practicing technique. Soon thereafter, I was offered my first art job as a result. I was hired by my school principal to create posters, binder covers, banners and flags for the school and school district. I used my newly acquired Photoshop skills to produce posters that are still hanging in many schools to this day. In my latter high school years I took my first summer job in the form of a program called Metro Arts. Metro Arts is a program sponsored by Quad City Arts for local high school students, which offers part-time paid apprenticeships under real professional area artists. This was a fantastic experience that helped me build my personal portfolio and skills set, as well as gave me valuable lasting connections with professional artists as well as other up and coming artists like myself. In 2005 I finally got my diploma, graduating third in my class from Rock Island High School.

As I headed into college, I had come to the conclusion that from my passions and interests, that the only choice for me was to work in the video game industry. In order to do this best, and to stick with what my strengths and passions were, I decided I should double major in Computer Science and Art, but after a college visit and talking to a counselor, I was told that this was flat-out impossible and that there was no way anyone could complete both time intensive and different majors in a reasonable amount of time. Slightly disheartened, I made my decision and entered the university of Illinois at Urbana Champaign as a Computer Science major, in their prestigious College of Engineering. During my time in the program, I learned a lot about programming, and computers that has helped me develop my skills as a digital artist. After completing my first year I paid a visit to my former high school during my summer at home. I mentioned that I had signed up for a 3D modeling class for next year, something I had a strong interest in, to a former teacher. She told me about a company that was developing new educational software for the school district which used 3d models, animation and simulations to help students visualize information. The project, called classroom cubed, was being done by a local company called JTM concepts, and she helped me to arrange an interview. A few short weeks later and I had my first professional 3D modeling job. The company was a fantastic place to work and I learned much of my base knowledge of modeling while I was working there. I still have a working relationship with the company and will work for them when I'm home for breaks or summers.

By my second year of College I knew it was time for a change. Influenced by my longstanding passion for art, my enjoyment of my summer modeling job, and my growing dissatisfaction with the rigid mathematical world of engineering, I applied to switch majors into the college of Fine and Applied Arts. My next year I felt completely rejuvenated. I excelled in all of my classes, my work was well received by students and professors alike, and I once again had the exuberance and motivation of being an artist. I was also able to find an excellent part time job as a graphic designer at a company called Chapter Communications. The job, which I still have today, allowed me to work from home designing the visual look of websites, primarily for Greek organizations, at schools across the country. At the end of the school year came another exciting first for me: my first real job with a video game company. I was hired as a QA tester at Volition, a major video game developer whose headquarters is in Champaign, just a mile off campus. I found the job through my previous connections to the company from attending engineering job fairs. I was put on the Art team for Saint's Row 2, and my responsibilities were primarily to test for visual bugs and inconsistencies in the game. The work environment and work was great, even though the hours could be very long and arduous at times. It was a great experience for me in the end because it reaffirmed my resolve for working in the games industry. This year is my first year in the New Media program which has allowed me to combine much of my interest in art with my interest in computers. I also recently declared my minor in Computer Science, which after spending so much time in the program, was only one course from completion. Currently I am working on building a strong modeling portfolio and improving my skills set, and actively seeking summer employment as a modeler in the games industry.