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My interest in tech started long before I knew anything about computers or careers. It goes all the way back to sixth grade. At that time, I did not have many friends. What connected me to others was anime. Through my friend Edwin, who shared that interest, I met James. That friendship ended up shaping a huge part of my life.

Anime was the first thing we all bonded over. Dragon Ball Z was getting popular, and every kid at school was talking about Goku going Super Saiyan. I used to draw anime characters in black and white, copying scenes from different shows and Japanese RPG games. It was something I enjoyed, and it helped me connect with people like James.

James opened the door to tech for me. He showed me what computers could really do. Before that, my experience with computers came from school labs. With James, everything changed. He introduced me to video games beyond the basic ones I already knew. He showed me how to use the internet during the early 2000s and what AOL was all about. Dial up connections, instant messaging, buddy lists, and the classic “a/s/l, got pic?” line. Those were fun times.

Through James and his brother Jay, I was introduced to a whole new world of software and tools. I learned about Photoshop for photo editing and Cool Edit for audio. They also showed me GeoCities, where we built simple websites dedicated to our favorite anime. We spent many afternoons and weekends at James’s house figuring things out on our own. There were no YouTube tutorials back then. We clicked around, broke things, fixed them, and learned through trial and error.

When we were not messing around with websites, we were playing video games. Our main console was the PlayStation, and we played everything we could get our hands on. Final Fantasy VII, Parasite Eve, Tekken, Street Fighter, and many other games we discovered together. We talked about them nonstop, especially the RPGs that pulled us into completely new worlds.

Looking back, it all makes sense. Anime, video games, internet culture, and building small websites planted the seeds for my future. These early experiences taught me how to navigate computers, explore the internet, and use tech as a way to create things. I did not know it then, but those afternoons hanging out at James’s house and those weekend library trips were the foundation for everything I would eventually do in tech and creative work.

That is how it started for me. A few friends, some anime, video games, early internet culture, and a curiosity that kept growing. It was simple, but it shaped everything that came after.