about me
Birth Date: 3/30/04
Late Update: 10/12/07
Site By: Gregory Martin
Bread Crumbs
home
september 11
things i hate
spaghettios poetry
u.s. states
concert tickets
biscuits
credits
music
brownies
2006 year in review
trade list
food
salad
missed shows
about me
I was born on June 5, 1982, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. At the time my father, Raymond, worked for the United States Agency for International Development. Ray currently works as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Christian Connections for International Health. My mother, Luann, works at the Academy for Educational Development. I have one sister, Annette, who works for Deloitte Consulting. I am currently a student at the University of California, Berkeley.
For the first eleven years of my life I was constantly moving around the world because of my father's job. I lived for two years in Cameroon, two years in Baltimore, four years in Islamabad (Pakistan), and finally two years in Kinshasa (Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo). My family and I were evacuated in 1991 due to riots and unrest.
The Martin family moved to Falls Church, Virginia and I adjusted to American life as a fourth grader. After a year in an apartment, we moved to a home in McLean, Virginia, a suburb about ten miles from Washington, DC. There I attended my third school in three years. After two years at Kent Gardens Elementary School, I attended Longfellow Middle School and then McLean High School. During this time I was quite active at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church.
During high school I had several jobs, performing odd jobs for a neighbor, mowing lawns, refereeing soccer games, and walking dogs. I had started piano lessons in Zaire, but it was not until high school that this hobby flourished. Under the direction of Keith Winston, I went from dreading to loving piano practice, and in 1999 I started composing music. I also sung in a church choir from 1992 to 2000, performing in weekly services and annual cantatas. In 1997 I started playing the bass guitar, and for a year I played in a band, the Majestic Twelve. The group performed only once, playing Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?"
Perhaps my favorite musical activity is playing English handbells. I started ringing bells (reluctantly) at church in 1995. By 1999 I was ringing regularly with three groups and substituting with two other bell choirs, playing everything from bass to midrange to treble bells. I helped launch the 5x5 Ringers, an ensemble group of advanced teenage ringers. I have enjoyed ringing at various bell festivals (primarily in AGEHR Area III) and with several temporary groups, including the Bronze Conference Choir and choirs that have performed at the Pageant of Peace. Most of my bell ringing experiences were at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, but I also was heavily involved with the Fort Myer Chapel Ringers.
Listening to music, particularly at concerts, is an important part of my life. My first real concert was a Smashing Pumpkins affair as a fourteen-year-old. I've been to hundreds of concerts since, many of which were Pearl Jam and Ben Harper shows. Those bands have consistently been the ones I call my favorite, though other favorites include the 2 Skinnee J's, Leona Naess, M. Ward, Pony Up!, the Elected, and MacGregor. During college I ran Ashes, a web and FTP site that distributed live recordings of Ben Harper's music. Running Ashes inspired me to occasionally record live music myself.
Another hobby of mine is computer programming. A long time ago I learned how to use Basic on an Apple IIe. With that as a starting point I learned C/C++. When I was in eighth grade some encryption software that I wrote, Insode, was included on a CD bundled with the premier issue of Boot magazine. This was a huge deal for me. Since then I have programmed for fun and for work. In high school friends used to make fun of me because I enjoyed reading computer books.
I went to the University of Maryland at College Park as a computer science major. I worked as a statistics grader for a semester and for four semesters as a computer science teaching assistant, grading exams and helping students with project questions. During my sophomore year I worked as a Community Assistant in my dormitory, Ellicott Hall, manning a 24-hour service desk in the building's lobby. On the job I handled mail and packages, was in charge of the residents' keys, coordinated crisis management and response, and answered questions from residents, parents, and telephone callers. That year was a challenge, as the region was affected by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and a tornado that hit campus later that month.
The following year I worked as the Customer Service Supervisor of LaPlata Hall. I was now in charge of fourteen Community Assistants. I had to interview applicants, train the new workers, and supervise them (and the service desk) throughout the year. I continued the job during my senior year, which was cut short as I graduated in December 2003 a semester early. I received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
Over the years I have volunteered with several organizations, the most frequent one being Habitat for Humanity. I have also worked for short periods of time at various places, including the Fairfax County Circuit Court, Academy for Educational Development, Fairfax Collegiate School, Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy, Wal-Mart, and Convergys.
I worked at the National Science Foundation during the summer before my senior year of college. The experience was a good one and I was hired full-time after I graduated. I worked for NSF's Office of Integrative Activities from April 2004 to February 2007. As a Science Assistant I worked on my office's two main initiatives: Science and Technology Centers and the Major Research Instrumentation Program. I was also heavily involved in an internship program for students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields.
While working I moved away from home for a year, in 2005, and lived in Alexandria with a friend. I also took courses at the Northern Virginia Community College, becoming quite passionate about geography and Geographic Information Systems. The salary and freedom of work also spurred an interest in travel. I have a goal to see as much of the United States and the world as I can.
After leaving NSF I moved to Tianjin, China for three months and studied Mandarin at the Tianjin University of Technology. This was an amazing experience, my first time living in a developing country since 1991. I found the language quite difficult to learn, but the cultural learning experience was a fantastic one. I then traveled for two months before returning to the U.S. for my next life event. I am currently a master's student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying demography. I will graduate in May 2008.