After graduating summa cum laude from the Oregon Institute of Technology with a degree in renewable energy engineering and a minor in art, literature, and philosophy, I moved to Japan to further learn the Japanese language and to study the Akita-dialect of Japanese. I studied abroad at Akita International University and Waseda University. I've worked a number of different jobs in Japan from tuna merchant to tourism article writer, from english teacher to engineer. On the road to Akita I gained an interest in Tanka poetry and joined a poetry club to better my poems and Japanese. I've also appeared on TV in Japan on the Akita CNA channel, NHK News Komachi, and TBS as well as the English learning podcast "勝手にENGLISH Journal."