Mason M. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Mason is a junior at Dartmouth College pursuing a major in cognitive science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence and a minor in human-centered design. Originally from Seattle, he was exposed to the vast tech ecosystem at a young age, sparking his curiosity and love of design. Mason took multiple honors classes in high school, including history, English, calculus, and biology. Attending an arts and sciences high school, Mason pursued an advanced course of study in Vocal Jazz, competing in regional festivals individually and with his choir, "The Onions." Over the last decade, he has participated in 23 musicals and plays while teaching himself three instruments. Mason also engaged with his school's rhetoric program, competing on the Ethics Bowl and Mock Trial teams at the state level for three years. He founded the entrepreneurship club, was the treasurer of Students Spreading Disability Awareness, and helped run a charity raising money for disabled students in Zambia, Africa. In college, Mason played on the ultimate frisbee team, is part of The Dartmouth Cords, an A cappella group, Casual Thursday, an improv group, and various other communities on campus. Outside of school, he has had multiple internships at different tech companies, primarily working at startups. Mason worked at Smartsheet doing UX Design, at the AI2 Incubator, working on a machine learning-powered personal assistant, and as a market researcher at March Capital and Defy VC. He also worked with the American Conservation Coalition, advocating for free-market climate change solutions and law reform.

Mason especially loves to work with kids who have learning disabilities. Having ADHD and Dyslexia, he knows firsthand the benefit of having a mentor who understands the challenges and unique advantages of a mind that doesn't always experience the world the same way as others. Unfortunately, learning disabilities typically make the simple stuff hard, leading to confusion, frustration, and anger. However, if you can get over that initial hump, the hard stuff amazingly seems simple. From engineering to the stage, Mason now sees his learning disabilities as an incredible gift that has helped him excel. He is excited to work with students to bolster their curiosity and confidence in their abilities.