About Me

Siblings: I have two older siblings who I am very close with and who have been big supporters of mine -- ignoring the younger years when my brother would refer to me as "fat Matt" and the fact that they consider me to be a robot. My sister got her Masters degree at UC San Diego and is now teaching junior high.

My brother attended UCLA and was a big reason for me forging across the "NorCal/SoCal" border after high school -- breaking a long line of UC Berkeley graduates on my Dad's side of the family. I guess it wasn't too far fetched: my Mom attended UCLA and my Grandpa helped start the UCLA engineering department with LMK Boelter (Dean of Engineering) after getting his undergrad degree at Cal.

Travel: Having lived in one city for a large portion of my life, moving to UCLA opened my eyes to experiencing different cultures and cities, even if they're only 300 miles away. I've since traveled to Ireland, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, as well as all of the western US and most of the East Coast. I'm always looking for opportunities to visit a new state or country -- I'm hoping my next trip will be to Alaska. Eventually I'd also like to explore France, Italy, and Poland to get a taste (literally and figuratively) of my heritage.

Outdoors: Aside from traveling, I also enjoy various outdoor activities. My dad, my brother, and I climbed Mt Shasta (14,162 ft) when I was in my early teens. We've also climbed Mt. St. Helens (post-explosion, which made the climb easier for us), as well as several back-packing trips throughout the southern Sierras. In the winter, I try to make as many trips to the mountains to go snowboarding.

I also enjoy any athletic activity whether it be football, soccer, basketball, or ultimate frisbee. I take physical health just as seriously as my work and education.

Photography: Recently, I've also taken to photography -- mostly inspired by Ansel Adam's work. The banner picture at the top of this page was taken from Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh. It's a fun hobby, and it's helped me tune my artistic eye.