About

I am a social entrepreneur seeking to advance education. I strive to do this through my interests in chess, business, and computer science.

The person who has made the single greatest impact in my life was my first chess coach, Coach Sean. As a young child, my father taught me chess, but since I always lost to him, I hated playing chess. In second grade, I went to a chess club, did not learn anything, and continued hating the game. Finally, in fourth grade, I decided to give it one more try and went to chess club at my new school, where I met Coach Sean. He recognized my talent, and taught me new things every class. It was through him that I was able to play my first tournament. He was a true inspiration for me, and without him I truly believe I would never have fully discovered chess, and my chess career would have never taken off. It is for this reason that I believe he has made the most significant impact in my life.

I have participated in a number of meaningful public service activities through my non-profit company, ChessHelps, and my for-profit company Aude LLC. and through teaching at Basis schools. Recently, I was selected as a member of the Board of Directors, Legends Chess, Phoenix, AZ. Legends Chess is committed to providing Title I schools with access to after school chess programs and monthly tournaments. My responsibilities include participating in establishing broad policies and setting out strategic objectives, fundraising, and directing chess tournaments.

Recently, for my 4^th Annual ChessHelps Tournament, I invited 30 students from Title 1 schools to participate in my tournament and provided free United States Chess Federation (USCF) memberships. This was the first time many of these students ever attended a chess tournament. All the students really enjoyed the chess tournament and are committed to playing chess and are hoping to participate in the 2018 USCF National Chess Championships in Orlando, FL.

I plan to continue developing both my non-profit and for-profit companies to make a difference in my community and around the world.