Where I came from
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. My
parents divorced when I was very young and both remarried. Now I have
two younger brothers, Peter and Jason. I lived with my Mom and Step-Father,
Bob. I went through 12 years of Catholic Schools and graduated from St.
Viator High School in Arlington Heights, IL. I had a great time there
and enjoyed both school and sports. I played Football and Water Polo and
was on the Wrestling team.
When it came time to go to college I combined my family traditions (my step-father is an engineer and my Dad runs a marine towing and salvage company) and went to MIT to study Ocean Engineering. Indulging my Mom (who wanted me to be a well rounded person) I also earned a second Bachelor's Degree in History. As an undergrad I continued to be athletic and joined the Crew team. I also joined Theta Delta Chi, one of MIT's many fraternities. Despite the bad press the MIT frats have been getting I believe it was one of the best decisions of my life. Another great part of my undergraduate experience was getting involved at the MIT Sea Grant College Program where I participated in a variety of Research Projects.
My involvement at Sea Grant continued as I chose to stay on with the O.E. Department and go to Grad School. I continued my work developing Autonomous Surface Craft as part of my Master's Thesis. I can honestly say that my six years as an MIT student were great and I would not have done it any other way.
