About Me
My background
I am a junior at Basis Independent Silicon Valley.
I’ve always enjoyed building and understanding how things work, from LEGO creations and hand-built computers to robotics and embedded systems. My interests in engineering and problem-solving were significantly shaped by my creative experiences in music, martial arts, project designing, and hands-on construction. I’m particularly drawn to robotics and microcontrollers, with a strong desire to apply technology in ways that positively impact the world. The above is a picture drawn by me in 5th grade for MLK day.
My Interests
My interests have grown from building for curiosity into building for environmental impact (especially focused on water bodies).
I started with Transformer and LEGOs and hands-on creations like habitable sized fort, then built my own personal computer, which made me want to understand how complex hardware systems fit together. In VEX Robotics, I learned to engineer collaboratively under real constraints including testing, refining, and even scrapping ideas when needed. Keeping an engineering journal to document decisions and track iterations was perhaps the most useful tool in the whole process.
Alongside these technical pursuits, I stay connected to environmental action in my community by adopting a creek in Santa Clara County, where I clear litter and help clean local waterways. That same motivation drives my most important project: the Ocean Voyager, an autonomous surface vehicle designed to detect floating macro debris early, before it degrades into microplastics; this is accomplished by combining multi-sensor perception with autonomous navigation. Functionally, Ocean Voyager follows a layered workflow with a thermal camera performing a 360-degree scan to identify surface anomalies, the system prioritizes targets, and then the robot navigates closer and uses vision cameras to confirm debris and reduce false positives. I designed the custom hardware and overall system architecture from the ground up and improved it through repeated iteration rather than following a specific external reference design. I’m currently perfecting the system's usage in controlled environments like a swimming pool before broader open-water testing. Above is a picture of Norway's "Cleaning Drone V1," which was one of my main inspirations and motivators throughout the process.
My STEM coursework, includes AP and post-AP work in Calculus (A, B, and C), Linear Algebra, and Physics (1, 2, and C) has helped strengthen the math and physics foundation I rely on for robotics and system design. Just as importantly, I’m also drawn to filmmaking and narrative storytelling, and courses like Literary Criticism and AP Seminar help me think critically, communicate clearly, and tell compelling stories about why engineering solutions matter. In the future, I plan to use these skills to pursue a video documentary for my project.
Things that define me
Tinkering with systems including electrical, electronic, and mechanical experiments around the house
Robotics & microcontrollers especially where hardware and software come together to solve real problems
Creating structures including designing and building a 6×6×12 cardboard house with friends during COVID
Various forms of creative expression like narrating and illustrating my own comic book, and being a lifelong Marvel fan
Music & discipline through learning piano and martial arts from kindergarten, and singing in choir during middle school
Hands-on collaboration with others working to turn ideas into tangible results
Building for impact requiring long and thoughtful ideation to help create solutions for our planet's struggles
My Passions One Frame at a Time
