GOLD Ambassadors

Mudd Facts: I lived in Drinkward all four years (serving as a mentor during my sophomore and junior years and as a proctor senior year). I was also the Muddraker’s Chief of Business and was a President of the Indian Food Club! Lastly, as a head tour guide for three years, I helped rebuild the tour guide program to be more community-focused with expanded training sessions, more mentorship, and increased engagement within the program! 

Fun Facts: I’ve been a Bharatanatyam dancer since I was three years old and am excited to get back into it now that college is over! I earned my private pilot license when I was 17, so I can fly single-engine land planes (and was part of Aerolab at HMC). I also love to bake, especially finding healthier alternatives in cookie and muffin recipes. I’ve definitely also become a Disney adult too, visiting Disneyland at least five times during my time at Mudd!

What I’m currently up to: I’m currently enrolled in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Applied Mathematics PhD program!

Advice on adulting: As someone who isn’t originally from California, I was worried about staying close with my friends after graduation. But even just a month out of college, I still feel really connected to my Mudd community. So my advice on adulting is to live your own lives and embrace each new adventure that comes along, but always make an intentional effort to stay in touch with your college friends. Schedule calls, plan reunions, and visit each other when possible. Friendships will definitely evolve, but the bonds we’ve created at Mudd are truly irreplaceable. 

Mudd Facts: I didn’t get involved in enough clubs, but spent my first 3 years involved in ASHMC. I spent time doing research with Profs George (CS) and Tsai (Eng) and had the joy of grutoring for a number of CS classes. 

Fun Facts: I love writing/editing–I write things on AI policy for Skynet Today and edit for The Gradient. I’m really into literature (huge Tolkien nerd), philosophy (especially metaphysics), policy, and have had a passion for learning Chinese since I took classes back in high school. 

What I’m currently up to: I’m living in Mountain View with a roommate, doing ML at an AI chip startup, learning how to “be an adult.” Work keeps me plenty busy, but I try to stay mildly active by going to the gym and driving range and have been meaning to make myself pick up tennis again. I’m also fortunate to live in an area where I can indulge my food / ice cream obsessions. I like to continue learning and reading outside of work so I’ve been spending time speedrunning some of my old Chinese textbooks. I’ve been working on a little series about different national AI strategies (starting with a piece on China’s recent AI ethics guidelines), an area I got interested in a few years back. I spent some time over the pandemic helping out with a podcast and doing weekly reading groups with a CMC professor I took philosophy classes with. 

Advice on adulting: This is a tough one, considering I’m barely an adult. I think the most helpful things for me post-Mudd have been keeping some sort of routine, staying connected with friends and family, and finding a few things outside of work / work-related things that capture my interest. At the moment, I’m just focused on trying to be a good employee/son/roommate/friend/awkward acquaintance. 

Mudd Facts: I loved the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company and the Archery club. I’m very proud of learning to freeline during Summer Institute. 

Fun Facts: I have been drenched in vanilla pudding. I was my high school’s homecoming queen. I’m an agnostic atheist who attends church pretty much every week. 

What I’m currently up to: Working as a therapist and part-time as a rock climbing coach. Dancing with Country Dance New York and hanging out with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. More on my website: bvcastro.com

Advice on adulting: You’re basically navigating an uncharted territory. Even though other people have captained their ships through the same waters, it’s a different ship. No one has ever navigated your ship before, so no one can tell you how to do it other than for you to sit with how you feel about it. Not everyone’s trying to go to the same destination. (Adapted from Jeremy Robinson, MFT)

Mudd Facts: Mentor 2x, Orientation Director, ASHMC Treasurer (directly contributed to significant ASHMC Financial Crisis), ASHMC Senate Chair, Spikeball Club President, (final?) Esports Club President, Poker Club President, Re-Founding member of ASCC (Associated Students of Claremont Colleges), (final?) organizer of South balcony jumps, 2021-2022 Intramural Trivia Champion, 2023-2024 Intramural Ultimate Frisbee Champion

Fun Facts: Once I wore only blue clothes for an entire month. At Mudd I left behind an engraved gavel: “Henry’s Hammer”. I research and build custom mechanical keyboards for myself and friends (reach out if interested!) My Instagram consists exclusively of over 200 images of the cats of my friends and I, in a variety of poses and interesting activities (@hlhammer1001 if interested). 

What I’m currently up to: When I’m not working (too long) recently I have been exploring Chicago parks and dividing my weekends between Pickleball open play and Ultimate Frisbee pickup. I’ve been learning new games both over the board (Arcs is an all-star) and digital (Blue Prince is also an all-star). I’ve also been Contra (social) dancing every week and traveling to some nearby dance weekend events! 

Advice on adulting: Meeting people can be one of the toughest things when moving to a new area, especially if other Mudders didn’t come with you. Even if going out to truly social spaces like bars or meetups isn’t your thing, just participating in activities you enjoy like playing games at a local store or pickup for a sport you enjoy can really kickstart a new social scene and help you find companionship in a new place.

Mudd Facts: I worked almost every summer of my Mudd career on the HMC campus up until I got my current job. 

Fun Facts: I stream on Twitch occasionally with friends and have been an avid pickleball player for about 2 years now.

What I’m currently up to: I have been working for the Los Angeles Dept. of Transportation for 4 years now, mostly designing traffic signal intersections.

Advice on adulting: I believe really investing time and energy into your relationships with friends/co-workers and other alumni is so important. A great habit to develop is to check in on folks in your life and spend time building your community. Reach out to others regularly, even if it’s been awhile since you last chatted with folks. It goes a long way to making others feel included in your community and makes gatherings more fun! 

Mudd Facts: ASHMC Student Body President (23-24), Class of 2024 junior class president (22-23), revived the Spectrum Yearbook, founded the 5C Swim Club

Fun Facts: My roommates and I co-owned two guinea pigs, Pip and Squeak, in our Drinkward triple for three years!

What I’m currently up to: I am a software engineer on a simulation and modeling team and a part time masters student studying student affairs. Outside of work and school, I am kept busy competing with the University of Utah club swim team and doing outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and open water swimming!

Advice on adulting: Making friends as an adult is hard. One way I have found to make this easier is to try and build a network of connections through your current friends. Anytime you invite a friend to do something, suggest that they invite someone to join and vice versa, when you are invited to an activity, ask if you can bring a friend along. Before you know it, you’ll have a whole network of new friends!

Mudd Facts: South Proctor 2015-16, Adventure Club, Tea Club, Swam for CMS Swim Team 3 years 2012-2015, Academic Excellent Tutor for Math, CS Grutor, Global Clinic 2015-16.

Fun Facts: I enjoy hiking, camping, rock climbing, and board gaming.

What I’m currently up to: I run a Developer meetup group in my local area and have recently started volunteering in a local high school CS classroom. I also am starting to work more in my garden and am starting to try composting.

Advice on adulting: Listen to people who have success in an area you want to work on, but beware the Halo Effect (e.g. assuming a person will give good advice on all topics just because they have success or notoriety in a specific area).