Q: Were you always interested in technology? If so, why?

A: I grew up in Detroit and I always wanted to be an astronaut. I went to every camp, seminar, and clinic that I could as a child to try to find out how to be an astronaut.

From space camp, I was given a book of astronauts that contained what state they were from. I used that to find them in the White Pages or online, call them at their house and say, ‘’Hi! I’m going to be an astronaut. What do I have to do?’’.

That drove my experiences through high school because when I met with the astronauts they told me I had to go to college. They told me I should pick a career in science, which led me to co-found a life science company for a stem cell culture device I co-developed, to a role supporting NASA, and ultimately re:3D.