About Me

From Humble Beginnings

Born to Mexican immigrant parents, I, Jose Antonio Guzman, was raised in the Westlake area of central Los Angeles, California. From humble beginnings in a low-income immigrant community, resources, opportunities, and finances were always scarce to come by. In addition to growing up in an improvised community, rampant crime was something evident day and night. Many of my close friends and family fell victim to this. Overlooking all of these hardships was easier said than done, but I took steps in the right direction to succeed socially and academically.

Academic Career

In May of 2016, I graduated as a top student in my class from the Los Angeles School of Global Studies (LASGS). As a project-based learning school, my experience with teamwork and academics flourished as time went on. Soon after, I began pursuing a bachelor's degree at the University of California - Merced. My interest in what I wanted to do varied and changed until I found my perfect fit. After taking an intro to cognitive science course, I found this was the direction I wanted to go. Interest in the brain, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and education was something the cognitive science major had under its scope. From the moment I declared my major, my involvement with relevant activities became more frequent. This was evident in my involvement and leadership in the Cognitive Science Student Association (CSSA). Interest in academia also grew, and I soon became a research assistant under James Ben Falandays and Colin Holbrook. Throughout my academic career at UC Merced, my interest grew towards psychology and education, where I decided to minor in both. In December of 2020, I graduated from UC Merced, where I received my Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science.

Miscellaneous 

Experiences in my community and academia have helped shaped my character, work ethic, and overall the person I am today. Given my beginnings, I strive to give back to my community, family, and those around me in more than one way. Whether it be by volunteering at my old high school or merely aiding when possible, reaching out to my roots is something I want to do. My interest is not only academic and reaches beyond those stated here. I enjoy playing video games in my free time, listening to music, watching sports, and enjoying what nature has to offer. The affection for video games and music has been something I have enjoyed for a while to the point where I have side projects with them. Currently, I am building my own video game and album that I have been working on for some time. I hope to publish these sooner rather than later and will be on the website.

Special Thank You

I want to extend a special thank you to my family, friends, teachers, and mentors for allowing me to succeed. In a neighborhood where many fail, like a flower on concrete, I was able to flourish through the cracks. Your aid in my success will never be forgotten, and I hope to pass that on to future generations.

Interests

Cognitive Science
Education
Psychology
Human & Brain Computer Interaction
Machine Learning
Data Analysis
Artificial Intelligence
Neural Networks
Computer Vision