ETH - MSc in Machine Learning

I am a 33 year old from Seattle, Washington. I came from a poor family and did not have access to college until recently.

I have been consistently working since I was old enough to have a paper route (12 years old), though my most notable work experiences include factory-line electrician, which primarily involved installing, diagnosing, and servicing ambulance electrical junction boxes, as well as a position in which I worked for several years managing a team of professional activists/non-profit fundraisers. Managing for a small NGO involves a plethora of responsibilities from interviewing to hiring to training to conflict management and payroll. During undergraduate studies, I worked two jobs, as a math/science tutor and as a student researcher. I began research at the beginning of a new experiment (Fusion-Z Experiment), so I was predominantly involved in planning, design, purchasing and assembly of both the telescopy system for a spectrometer and electronics system for a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

ETH is recognized around the world for its prestige and quality of education. The Master's programme will be challenging but ultimately rewarding. I began my stadies in fall 2018 and intend to complete my Master's thesis after fall Semester in 2020.

Moving across the world to pursue a Master’s degree at ETH is both exciting and intimidating. It is a dream come to life. Despite the difficulties, my passion pushes me to continue challenging myself. Through the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (D’ITET), I will have a focus on Signal Processing and Machine Learning. During my undergraduate studies, I took a few graduate-level courses in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, which I found to be quite rewarding. Upon graduation, I intend to find work in industry. The disciplines of Machine Learning make it incredibly useful in many fields, including finance, technology, and scientific research. As such, my prospects for finding fulfilling work are quite good.

Accomplishments/Extracurriculars:

While working as a non-profit fundraiser, I received numerous commendations for personal achievements and those of my team, acquiring over a million dollars raised in donations over my career. While at South Seattle community college, I received the Leona Hickman Adopt-A-Student scholarship, was on both the Dean's and President's Lists (3.5+ GPA and 4.0GPA, respectively) every quarter that I attended, and was a ranking member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor society, which involved volunteering for a local elementary school and giving presentations to new community college students. I have received the Certificate of Excellence for three years in a row for my services as a math/science tutor. At University of Washington, I was on the Dean's List every quarter and graduated with Academic Honors in Physics. I have been included in four publications through my current research project as a collaborator. Additionally, as an autodidact, I have quite a few hobbies, most notably playing cello and restoring vintage motorcycles.