About

Hey! I'm Zach. On this site you'll find some projects I've worked on, some talks I've given, and some blog posts containing my thoughts on varous topics that I find interesting.

I've loved math for as long as I can remember. I don't exactly know why. Maybe it was because I loved the comfort that the logical world of math provides. Or maybe it was because I had a natural intuiton for it. Whatever the reason, it was always my favorite subject in school.

When I made it to high school, I took an introductory programming class. It showed me how to creatively apply the logical concepts from math that I enjoy so much. It sparked something in me that would later show up in my career.

Naturally, I majored in math in college. College math is different from grade school math. It's more abstract. It's more about proving theoretical concepts than crunching numbers. It rewires your brain to think about things in a way that few others do.

Surprisingly to me, the most valuable takeaway from my math degree was this new way of thinking. I'm now able to take a set of information, determine which pieces are relevant to the problem at hand, and logically put the pieces together to form accurate conclusions. This skill that has proven useful in all areas of my life, not just in my career.

I never forgot that spark that coding in high school gave me. As I studied math, I also honed my skill writing code and minored in computer science. This led me to start a career as a software developer when I graduated.

I like writing all types of software, but I particularly enjoy thinking about contracts between different subsystems. Creating appropriate and useful abstractions in software brings out the same feeling I get from proving theorems in math.

More recently, I've taken an interest in philosophy. One thing I love about philosophy is that it's not so different from math. Both disciplines require you to think about things in a similar way.

When I'm not thinking about math or philosophy or writing code, you can find me playing my favorite video games (Sekiro is a recent favorite), snowboarding in the winter, or out golfing in the summer. I also love to exercise, play piano, and enjoy time with my family and friends.