Why did you choose to study at WPI?  

I chose to study at WPI due to its highly regarded Interactive Media & Game Development (IMGD) program in tandem with its project-based learning approach. I had the chance to not only learn about my field of study at WPI but also get hands-on by creating projects with industry tools that prepared me for work. 

How are you involved with the WPI community?  

I am an active member and former executive of the Video Game Club at WPI. I founded the Pokémon Club as a sub-division of the Video Game Club. I later became secretary of the Video Game Club at large in 2024, which went on to be a monumental year in the club’s history seeing record attendance, growth, and a dramatic leap in vision for the club. I loved being able to share so many games with students that had never played them before due to the club’s vast inventory of titles and systems spanning three decades of games. I met so many awesome people through the club by holding so many zany events. It was hard not to have something to play. 

What’s your favorite thing about WPI?  

I think my favorite thing about WPI is the supportive and overwhelmingly welcoming community. Everyone, from students to faculty, are extremely kind and aware. If I had attended another school, I absolutely do not think I would be the same person or would have developed the long-term skills and confidence I have at WPI. 

Do you have a faculty or staff mentor?  

Gillian Smith, the director of IMGD, was my outstanding mentor who motivated me to push the boundaries of not only what I understood about creating experiences, but also what everyone in the program understood. I did not just feel like I was being taught what to think or how to do something, I was being taught how to break ground and develop new ideas and unexplored experiences. It was this motivation that was critical to my success at WPI and beyond. I am forever grateful for that. Without her, I do not think I would have been successful in developing my game, A Color Theory, which went on to win the Excellence in Digital Design Award at The Boston Festival of Indie Games. 

What projects are you working on?  

I am currently working on developing several games as part of my studies. This includes a game that solely relies on color to convey its mechanics and a game that uses an artificial intelligence model’s dataset to generate words in a rogue-like guessing game.