Q: What inspired you to become an engineer? Were you always interested in technology? If so, why? If not, when did you become interested and why?

A: Ever since I was a child, I have always been curious about how technology works. For example, when I was 5 years old, my parents got me for my birthday a pair of Fisher Price walkie talkies such that my little sister and I could communicate with each other wirelessly and goof around the house. It was one of the best birthday gifts ever! I was completely fascinated by how these radios communicated with each other, and I began to ask myself questions such as “How exactly is my voice reaching my sister’s radio?” and “Why can’t I hear other wireless signals such as an FM radio station or a police radio?” and “How come when I exceed the reception range of my sister’s radio that do I not hear the signal anymore?” As it turns out, I would discover the answers to these questions and many others related to wireless communications approximately 15 years later when I started my undergraduate studies in electrical and computer engineering with a concentration in communications and networks. As a side note, I still have those same Fisher Price walkie talkies although I use them in my introductory undergraduate courses in communications and networks here at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.