I'm Aaron - Welcome!

The basics and more

Welcome to my drawing board / dumping ground / portfolio of past projects and experiences! If you've found yourself here then you probably know who I am, but if you don't, my name is Aaron. I will be your host for this journey through my (mostly) professional life. But first a few quick facts...

Family - My parents immigrated to the US from Ethiopia before I was born in the northern Virgina / DC area. We soon moved the surburbs outside Atlanta where I grew up and my younger sister was born.

Learning - I went to a STEM focused high school called GSMST before heading off to Boston to go to MIT for undergradate and eventually my masters of engineering, both in electrical engineering. I continue to enjoy learning new things both related to engineering and in other domains. I am returing to MIT Sloan Summer 2023 as part of the LGO program where I will complete a dual degree program in Business (MBA) and Electrical Engineering (MS).

Hobbies / interests - There are a few core activities that have always been part of what I like to use my free time like writing poetry and playing / watching basketball. However, I've expanded my horizon of activities in recent years to a wide array of things from watching anime to cooking and baking to learning how to play guitar or tennis or chess. I've even found some time to get back into playing (in addition to streaming!) video games as well as learning more about photography.

As we jump into more detail about all things Aaron, I want to highlight the primary use case of this site as simply exploring a few past projects and the resulting key skillsets I gained as a result. My resume can also give you a quick flavor of my experiences and skillset and is linked below. And if you want to chat, fill out the contact me form and I'll get back to you!

Contact Me

Resume

Skills

Diverse skillset in order to be well positioned to tackle any problem.

Hardware System Integration

My experience managing hardware and software interfaces are evident in A Drone's Eye View and Audio Spectral Visual Effects. Both projects involved multiple group memebers working on distinct portions of a final product, and the success of both projects stemmed from an early definition of the system interfaces.

Rapid Prototype Development

I have the ability to quickly take a set of vague product requirements and produce a first draft. Extremely fast turn around times are the norm in management consulting, and with rapid hardware development, my experience at the Hong Kong Innovation Node and the extremely fluid timelines while an intern at LLNL are extremely relevant

Logistics and Resource Allocation

My roles with in MCG and PKT demonstrate my ability to take on logistical responsibility for events as well as efficiently utilize limited resources to please as many members as much as possible. The phrasing of each problem as an optimization that can be reached allows me to utilize my technical skillset for non-technical situations.

Teaching and Mentorship

As a grader, teaching assistant, and lab assistant for a half dozen course in EECS, I garnered a deep appreciation of what it really means to explain a concept well. It was after going through my freshmen year struggling, that I began to understand the complexities behind effective instruction and mentorship. As a senior, I pride myself in my ability to distill many years of experiences into useful and actionable intelligence for younger students.

System Modeling

Through a wide range of projects and experiences including multiple feedback controls projects and USRP projects, I developed my system modeling abilities extensively. In the broader engineering sense, I began to appreciate the value of "good enough" system modeling. The key understanding being the trade off between accuracy and complexity once the diminishing returns of each additional bit of complexity is added.

Creative Adaptability

My single greatest skill is my adaptability. Reading the complexity of a situation, whether it be client interactions or electron interactions, I can adapt to changing requirements and environments all while still practicing the other skills mentioned here. Being able to adapt to unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances allows me to tap into my creative side, something I usually utilize more when I'm writing poetry, to solve technical problems

Project and Experience Portfolio

Below are a few deep dives into some of my projects and work experiences over nearly the last decade

Quantum Control

Astra Space Inc

Consulting with Bain

Chapbook and Podcast

TrueLink

A Drone's Eye View

CFO & Case Team Leader

Speaker Tracker

Audio Spectral Visual Effects

High School Projects

Travel & Photography

"If there's one thing you will never waster your money on it is traveling. Travel the world. See another place. Discover a different point of view. Traveling is the antidote to ignorance."

-Trevor Noah