When I was in high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do for a career. Science— especially astronomy, nature, the human body, and archeology—was always fascinating to me, so I knew I wanted to go into a technical field. During all four years in high school, I studied math, including algebra, geometry, trigonometry, advanced math, and introductory calculus.

Once in college, I decided to go to medical school and become a doctor, so I started the pre-med program while also working parttime. The competition to get into med school was fierce, and I soon realized my grades were not good enough. One weekend, I went to the annual Engineering Fair, presented by the School of Engineering. There I saw an experiment in biomedical engineering that was fascinating. A digital-analog (or hybrid) computer was modeling the human circulatory system. Students used this computer model to simulate heart attacks, arrhythmias, and other heart problems. Later, I talked with several engineering professors, and realized I could get a degree in electrical engineering, specializing in biomedical engineering. In this way, I could work in a medically-related field. My decision was made. I went on to major in electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

In college, I studied algebra, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, and physics because they were prerequisites for the engineering courses. Computer science and statistics were also required.