Growing up in age where the popularity and usage of technology was beginning to exponentially increase and expand, it was only natural that computers and electronics would catch my attention. As a member of the Academy of Information Technology (AoIT) in high school, I took college courses in networking, networking security, managing/troubleshooting hardware, and installing operating systems. Being apart of this program allow me the opportunity to have an internship with the Cumberland County School IT Department.  Our job as interns was to assist the technicians with removing old computers and their components and installing new ones throughout the schools in the county. My desire for learning more about computers grew everyday. I decided to pursue a career in the technology industry.   
I choose to attend North Carolina A&T State University and major in electronics technology. My sophomore year I was selected by one of my professors along with several other students to do the SeaPerch program for Extreme IT day. SeaPerch is an underwater robotics program that equips individuals with resources to build Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV). SeaPerch integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and hands-on education. These were the type of projects that satisfied my hunger for knowledge because they challenged us as students to think. While assembling the original model we learned how to solder wires, strip wires, and assemble a small circuit board. The schematics for the SeaPerch used a remote controller to control the motors of the ROV, but we wanted to make it special in our own way. So the team decided to go for a wireless control solution. In order to bring our idea to fruition, a Raspberry Pi (Single board computer) was needed in order to allow for wireless connection to the motors. This allowed the group to gain a whole new skill set, Raspbian (Linux based operating system) and Python (Program language) to write the code for the motors. The innovation was a success as we were able to control the movement of the ROV using a Wii remote and a Bluetooth chip. 

Creating the ROV was a different way of learning then sitting in a classroom listening to lectures. Projects like SeaPerch are what influenced me to join the Research Experience for Undergraduates Ocean, Marine, and Polar Science program (REU OMPS 2015). The research at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) for the summer 2015 assigned to my team concentrating on the carbon being emitted to the atmosphere from the thawing permafrost in the northern peatlands. Peatlands are wetlands that contain organic matter within the soil and are classified as atmospheric carbon sinks. The focal point of our research centered on Stordalen, which is a subarctic wetland mire underlain in permafrost and located in northern Sweden. Our goal was to analyze data collected by an automated chamber system and conclude whether the mire is still a carbon sink (Uptake more carbon than emitted) or transitioned into a carbon source (Releases more carbon than uptake). The research focused on the three dominant vegetation types within the Stordalen Mire: i) dry palsa site ii) intermediate thaw sphagnum site iii) and completely thawed eriophorum site.

The team read numerous amounts of past articles to procure enough background information on permafrost degradation. After gaining a solid foundation of the material, we used JMP, statistical software, to analyze the data collected by the auto chamber system. We compared the net carbon ecosystem exchange at each individual test site to look for signs of carbon uptake or emission. We also took into account certain environmental variables such as air temperature, ground temperature, and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR). These variables have a direct impact on the thawing of the permafrost. They also provided feedback of how the degradation of the permafrost had an effect on the environment. The original data set was filter to only show the green season (DOY 121-260), r2 < 0.87, and PAR set to 0. The average of C flux for each site are as followed: i) Palsa site recorded at -0.339 mgCm-2 h-1 ii) Sphagnum site recorded at -22.1 mgCm-2 h-1 iii) Eriophorum site recorded at -49.9 mgCm-2 h-1 iv) Sphagnum/Eriophorum (Ch. 9) recorded at -87.2 mgCm-2 h-1. The mean averages of each site are all negative values meaning that they show uptake of carbon. All the dominant vegetation communities were small atmospheric sinks for the green season of 2013. In conclusion, Stordalen Mire remains a atmospheric sink. Regression analysis was performed to indicate which environmental variable explain the data more. PAR on average had the highest r2 value indicating that it represented more of data than air and ground temperature. Interns also learned how to use GPS, received SeaSpace training, attend python/C++ lessons, and received certifications in boating safety and CPR/first aid. 
 
After obtaining my Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics Technology, I planned to pursue my masters in Computer Science. After completing Java and C++ classes, I have grown fond of programming. Outside of the classroom I would develop my own programs to better help my understanding of programming syntax and different languages. I would like to become a software developer and own my business, which focus on making applications for mobile devices. I am currently studying how to develop on Android devices. Once proficient with the Android platform, I will incorporate iOS. The plan is to form a small team of programmers, graphic designers, innovative minds, and business savvy individuals to help spark the dream into reality. As our popularity expands, we will acquire a building to act as a central hub and start to hire more personnel to handle the new direction of the company. The company will focus on created our own applications as well as doing contract work for other companies or business.