Director of Software Development at Semaphore Mobile
About Me
I attended Baylor University where I played on the men's varsity tennis team and received an oboe scholarship. At the end of my freshman year I changed majors and graduated with an undergraduate and masters degree in piano performance and pedagogy. It was when I began a doctorate in music that my journey took an abrupt turn.
During that time, I worked part-time as an adjunct faculty member at a local community college. As I interacted with some of the older faculty members, they expressed concern about the downtrend they were seeing in the numbers of new students. I had heard similar stories from other college faculty teachers elsewhere, and so I began to wonder about my career choice. Would there be a full-time job for me once I finished my five-year doctoral program? I had already completed two years of the degree, what if that downtrend in numbers continued?
Change Of Direction
One day I was playing chess with a friend and I happened to mention my concerns about the career path I was on. Out of the blue he said to me, “You should become a software engineer.” I stared at him blankly, not quite comprehending what he meant. He explained that he thought I should become a computer programmer because he believed I had an aptitude for it. I had always had an interest in computers and I had used complex music software in the past. He told me that all I needed was to learn a programming language to get started. I honestly didn’t know what to think. I had never even considered software engineering before. Since my friend was a software engineer himself, he offered to mentor me, and we began working together. During the next six months, I took two programming classes, passed a Microsoft Certification Exam, and landed a job, working on my friend’s software development team.
I can’t thank him enough for seeing an ability in me that I could not. I’ve since had the opportunity to mentor others, which has been quite rewarding. Sometimes I will stop and think about that day, and where a conversation with a friend over a game of chess changed the course of my life.
Wired Differently
Speaking of change, I recently discovered something important about myself. I've always felt my mind was wired differently than others, and just over a year ago I found out that I was right! While surfing the web, I stumbled upon a link that read:
“See If You’re On The Spectrum!”
I clicked on the link and it took me to an autism screening test called the Autism Spectrum Quotient or AQ for short. The test consists of 50 questions. The average score people get is around 16. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism score 32 percent or higher. So I took the test and got back a high score.
Whaaaat??? I was incredulous.😲
“This test is flawed!!”
"This test is flawed!", I said to myself. So I went searching for other online autism screening tests and took them. They all gave me the same result. So I started researching autism. The only thing I knew about it was from watching some TV shows or movies. After reading more about autism I knew that the online screening tests were all correct, so I decided to get professionally tested and the results were autism and ADHD.
Advocating For Others
I decided to become an autistic advocate and to create an autism resource website for late identified autistics like myself. It has resource links to websites run by autistic people, how to find the autistic community on different social media sites, educational books, podcasts, and youtube channels. It also discusses the pros and cons of getting a diagnosis and has a glossary of terms.
I also created a website called Autism in the Media that lists Movies and TV shows that have autistic characters in them. You can search and save your favorites for later.
News
- [Oct 2023] Created the AutismInTheMedia.com website
- [Apr 2023] Performed the 2nd movement of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto
- [Jan 2023] Joined the Kind Theory team as an advisory board member
- [Nov 2022] Created the Neurodivergent Mastodon Import List Form
- [Sep 2022] Created the Autism in the Media Spreadsheet
- [Jan 2022] Created the Autism-101.com resource website
- [Dec 2021] Volunteered for ACEing Autism as a tennis instructor
Education & Experiences
- B.M. — Baylor University, 1987
- M.M. — Baylor University, 1989
- Postgraduate Studies — SWBTS, 1991-93
Projects
Autism in the Media Website
A website that shines a light on the portrayal of autism in film and television, advocating for authentic and diverse depictions that reflect the reality of the autistic community.
Autism-101 Resource Website
A resource website for newly diagnosed and self-identified autistic people, and those who think they might be.
Kind Theory — Autistic Non-Profit
I joined the Kind Theory team as an advisory board member. Kind Theory provides local schools, employers, service providers, law enforcement, and other organizations with meaningful education about neurodiversity, disability justice, and the best practices for understanding and supporting autistic people and those with ADHD. The best part? All of our projects—from speaking engagements to educational videos—are shaped and led by neurodivergent people themselves.