Beyond Academia

During my teenage years, all I ever wanted was to become a professional soccer player. While that dream didn't materialize, I did play for Major League Soccer's (MLS) Columbus Crew reserve team and have a few photos from my mohawk days (typical soccer players am I right) that I can now laugh at.

After soccer, I picked up fighting as a hobby and have a 1-1 record in Muay Thai/Kickboxing. This is a picture of me winning my first fight by finish.

I was also a professional E-sport player for a while. In 2017, during a difficult period in my life, I spent most of my time playing Pro Evolution Soccer 2017. I became so good at it that I was ranked 45th in the American continent. Konami even flew me to LA to compete in the US National Championship (with food and hotel all paid), but I sadly lost the semi-final by one goal, so I didn't get to play in the continental final.

I still play PES from time to time, staying around the top 1000 in the world, though I'm not as good as I used to be. You can check out some of my recent gameplay on my YouTube channel!

When I'm not thinking about AI, I love capturing moments through photos. Here are some of my favorite shots.