I joined the interACT Lab at the University of Washington as a research assistant—just hoping to get closer to projects that meant something. I stuck around for over two years, eventually becoming the lead technologist and engineer in the lab. That time gave me the opportunity to work on Social Media Test Drive (SMTD), a large educational platform developed across multiple universities to help adolescents learn how to use social media safely. While the core platform was already established, I led the development of the international and Spanish-language version—an initiative that reached students in classrooms around the world.

Behind the scenes, I automated a data pipeline using Java to collect, store, and structure anonymized user interaction data at scale. I also developed custom AI/ML algorithms using PyTorch to help researchers analyze how young users engaged with the platform—surfacing patterns and insights that otherwise would’ve been buried. It was one of those rare projects that blended education, behavioral research, engineering, and real-world impact—and getting to lead that work as a student was something I’ll never forget.