Nathan's Notes

Beyond everything software, machine learning, and applied math that I do in research, hackathons, or personal projects, I also enjoy playing Scrabble (it’s really a strategy game if you think about it), solving puzzles, and analyzing contemporary music, literature, and film.

I’ve just created this blog and don’t have much to put here yet, so enjoy a few responses to these application questions.

What’s the nerdiest thing about you?

I’ve got two choices: A) In middle school, I used Selenium to script my way to victory for a Spanish class competition. I still did my homework after. B) For my girlfriend’s birthday, I gave her a 3D puppy I modeled in Blender with Three.js.

What non-traditional things were you doing growing up?

In elementary school, I learned how to code in Java and created games and animations using Khan Academy’s Java interface. For my mom’s birthday, I even made her a digital animated card. By middle school, I began creating Unity games in C#, developing a full 3D platformer game with unique mechanics like building temporary platforms. I even ended up placing first place in a TSA competition!

I also used to play video games a lot. However, I think I played so much that I eventually got tired. I found playing video games unfulfilling and instead focused on things that were intellectually stimulating to me. I studied math for fun, solved competitive programming problems, practiced chess, and picked up piano (after having quit). I still watched a lot of YouTube, but instead focused on videos that provided something genuinely interesting. With this commitment to working towards fulfillment, I even read chemistry and biology textbooks out of curiosity (and of course a little spite against those who said I couldn’t 😊). Through these constructive hobbies, I could actually feel a sense of accomplishment and purpose, building towards meaningful goals.

Tell us about a risk youʼve taken or a challenge you’ve faced. Tell us whether you failed or succeeded, how you behaved, and how you think this reflects your character.

In high school, despite taking the maximum APs and college-level courses, I found classes unchallenging. So, I began focusing on personal projects such as Kaggle competitions, olympiad studies, and material science research. Prioritizing these, I often skipped school to work on side projects, nearly jeopardizing my graduation due to absences. Despite this, I graduated with As. This reflects my willingness to break social norms and drop everything to pursue personal growth and impactful projects.