he most common question I'm always asked right off the bat is: What's with the degree in Math and Physics? The answer, as you might expect, is very elaborate, yet defining, as to who I am today.

During my later years in high-school, web design was something that started out as a hobby, to relieve me of the stress of my everyday studies. My original goal was becoming a scientist doing research all day in a laboratory, making amazing discoveries about the world we live in and maybe one day winning a Nobel Peace Prize. Upon graduating from Sachem East High School in Farmingville, NY, I enrolled at The State University of New York at Stony Brook with a plan concentrated on a double-major in Math and Physics. With a busy schedule, a mind-grueling work load, and a tuition to pay, I retreated to my hobby of web designing to ease my mind... and my wallet.

I scoured design forums and contest sites for opportunities to sell my designs for money. As my designs started to get chosen, I began to develop contacts, which led to contracting freelance work for small businesses and start-ups. I had projects on-and-off for about a good year and a half as I was attending college. To add to that, I also worked as a sales associate in a Nine West at a nearby outlet center.

Don't get me wrong, I was still doing well academically, keeping my GPA up at a very respectable level. I even participated in sessions with the Metcalf Research Group at Stony Brook which was composed of a small collection of mentoring professors and graduate students. However, that's when I began to notice that my heart wasn't in it. While my peers always had their heads willingly buried in their books at the library, I went home to my computer to design web sites. I even sometimes created sites for fictional entities in order to build a portfolio and market myself for prospective freelance work.

I continued to participate in design contests, where I eventually established a contact who was an SEO marketer that consistently came back for work. I was designing landing pages and banner advertisements for him, with projects

It was during this crucial time that I made a pivotal decision. I still wanted to finish my degree, however, I now wanted to get it done as soon as possible to pursue this huge opportunity. After observing my options, I bumped myself down to just a Major in Math and Minor in Physics. Additionally, I overloaded my schedule so that I could graduate a semester early.

In December 2008, with a 3.38 GPA, I marched in graduation successfully receiving a Bachelors of Science in Math with a minor in Physics. Immediately thereafter I took the reigns working full-time as the Creative Lead Designer for Creadively, LLC. That moment is what had sprung me into the professional field of Web Design.

I can say that I've already gone through so many ups and downs in the industry, mainly stemming from the economic downturn in the Summer of 2009. I went back to doing freelance work, but the demand I was observing wasn't very abundant. I had re-explored my interest in Physics, returning for a semester in Spring 2010 to take Senior Physics Laboratory, Computing for Physics, and Quantum Physics classes. From there my interest and passion for design was reaffirmed. Determined, I even made attempts at conceptualizing and developing ideas for social sites with a former co-worker. Most notable was the project entitled itemyzed, in Fall 2010. However, lacking capital and resources it was eventually abandoned. From there I put my resume out into the job pool, where I was subsequently found by Foot Locker Inc. for their CCS Skate Shop subsidiary brand.

I am primarily self-taught, my abilities acquired from avidly reading blogs and examining the codes of lauded web sites. I developed my skills to follow the industry standards and have adapted them from the murky depths of what might be known as "Web 1.0." Even up to now I continue to work towards keeping up with common practices and trends in this ever-evolving environment.