I wrote this book to serve as a visceral lens for the decades of mistreatment and psychological neglect veterans have faced in the United States. My purpose was to show that for those of us who have seen the "maw of a beast," the war doesn't end with a "victory" net-report; it continues as a "prison" of the mind. Ultimately, I wrote this because "a mind that fights itself can never know peace," and I wanted to voice the reality for veterans who are "haunted, hardened, and forever changed" by a country that asks for everything but often fails to help us process the "weight of the dead" we bring home.
Empower & Excel
Volunteering
I believe community service is a universal capability, not just a choice. My journey with Empower & Excel began in seventh grade, eventually leading me to advocate for STEAM equity. Over three summers, sharing my passion for science became a two-way street: as I taught, I gained a deeper understanding of global inequities and my own role in addressing them. This culminated last summer as I co-led a 12-week STEM camp, where witnessing under-resourced youth transition from hesitant to vibrantly curious reaffirmed my commitment to accessible education
One day, as I was staring at the golden fronds swaying lazily in the current, I wondered how such a seemingly simple organism, kelp, has survived for such a long time. This thought set me out on the path of discovery, as I stumbled, crawled and sometimes tripped into more and more interesting bits of information. Well, I became so hyperfixated on kelp that I started writing a book on it.
A fourth-grade project on JFK’s military service sparked my lifelong interest in World War II history. What began as an immersion into the technical evolution of tanks and aviation has since matured into a profound respect for the individuals involved. By studying the intersection of technology and personal narrative, I have come to view every soldier’s story as a vital testament to the resilience of the human spirit.v
