About Me

(in about 1649 words)

Introduction

Hello, my name is Calvin! My passion is to build profound products and services that enrich customer experiences and foster an innovative culture. I cross-functionally lead at the intersection between engineering and business management to holistically orchestrate the engineering process to define, design, develop, and launch impactful solutions to address complex problems.

If you think I can be helpful to you or would like to meet me, please feel free to get in touch.

Currently

I am a Senior System Engineering Manager at AT&T working within the Data Artificial Intelligence team. I spearhead the end-to-end development of AT&T's artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic software to astutely ingest and process 4G/5G broadband and geolocation metrics from millions of Android OS devices nationwide. We built agentic AI and LLM (GraphRag) features to automate processes, proactively address issues, and save effort across stakeholders. The insights generated accelerates network performance optimization, improves anomaly detection, and drives forward critical AI-driven initiatives such as wireless emergency alerts --which were used to notify people during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. I own the planning, development, testing, and launch of over 15 software release candidates each year. Consistently, I cross-functionally collaborate with software engineers, data analysts, quality assurance engineers, legal, marketing, and OEMs (i.e.: Google, Samsung, Motorola) to deliver deliver quality and timely software solutions.

I have learned how to build teams, manage people, shape culture, develop relationships with customers, and triage critical issues in the development lifecycle. As a manager, I enjoy engaging with stakeholders to identify market opportunities and break complex problems down into actionable roadmaps. Serving as the critical bridge between technology and business, I have been able to touch many parts of the organization –from engineering teams to sales, marketing, and legal. My approach to product and project management is to experiment, build, fail fast, and think creatively and holistically to deliver game-changing technology innovations.

I focus on uncovering opportunites to create value rather than focusing solely on backlog items. I continuously measure outcomes and decide action items based on evidence. I strive for partnership with people and never shy away from conflicts; I do not allow anti-patterns to get in my way. I inspire teams and empower them to solve meaningful problems however they see fit.

I earned a Master of Engineering in Engineering Management at Cornell University. I also hold a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Rutgers University. On the side, I am passionate about personal finance, financial market analysis and investing, and entrepreneurship.

Some History

  • My parents both have Computer Science degrees, so I became familiar with computers from a young age.

  • As a kid, I remember playing with my father's clunky computer; I instantly became intrigued by computer programs. I may have endangered his business a couple times by playing around too much with his computer.

  • At 5, I began learning how to swim and ice skate "competitively". After a year, I decided to stick with swimming and give up ice skating because I preferred warm sports over cold sports.

  • At 6, I began Chinese school where I learned how to read, write, listen, and speak Mandarin Chinese. For the next 12 years, my weekend mornings and afternoons were dedicated to Chinese school.

  • At 7, my parents gifted me a Gameboy for the 14 hour flight to China. Besides this being my first time visiting Asia, this was the first time I had a gaming device of any kind.

  • At 8, my parents bought a new Dell destop computer. I familiarized myself with the Microsoft suite (Word, PowerPoint) to complete homework. It was also the year I began martial arts and karate.

  • At 9, I began playing club soccer. I also created my first email account (Gmail) to learn how to communicate "professionally".

  • At 10, I built my first website with Microsoft FrontPage. It was a website for my Club Penguin and it was terrible (but I did not think so at the time). I also made Club Penguin Youtube videos which my friends still make fun of today.

  • I was 11 when I began dedicating time to give back to my community. I participated in the Rotary International club and helped build houses with Habitat for Humanity.

  • When I was 12, I learned anatomy and found myself incredibly interested in pursuing medicine. I was not afraid of blood, but oddly was still afraid of shots.

  • At 14, I learned about the stock market and investing concepts. My first stock was Apple (APPL) as a gift from my parents. I also competed in my high school's MarketWatch Virtual Stock Exchange Game where I won 1st place. This was the start of my fever-passion for the markets.

  • At 15, I was stressed about SATs, APs, extra-curriculars (i.e.: student government, volunteer hours, varsity sports, National Honor Society), and college applications. This year was a blur for me.

  • At 16, I took my first computer science course (C++). I wanted to learn how to create my own games which sparked my interest in computer science. This year I also graduated Chinese school which allowed me to reclaim my weekends.

  • At 17, I bought my first laptop. It was a silver Macbook Pro. One of the first things I did with my Macbook Pro: apply to universities to study Computer Science. I also took more computer science courses (Java and OOP).

  • At 18, I began attending Rutgers University to pursue my studies in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship.

  • At 19, I got my first paying job as a Rutgers Orientation Leader. That first paycheck was better than any fruity-sticker my teachers rewarded me in elementary school.

  • At 20, I learned about resiliency when faced with rejection. I interned as a software engineer for Johnson & Johnson and Huawei where I strengthened my understanding about cloud architecture.

  • At 21, I was selected to be a Computer Science instructor and taught my first university course. I also completed an internship with AT&T's Technology Development Program as a Technical Product Manager. This year I learned how to develop Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications.

  • At 22, I graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. I joined AT&T as a Technical Product Manager as part of their Cloud Architecture team.

  • At 23, while working full-time, I began pursuing my Master of Engineering degree at Cornell University. I was also promoted to Senior Technical Product Manager at AT&T within the Enterprise Advertising Data team.

  • At 24, I filed my first patent with the U.S. Patent Office. After proven results and leadership recognition for my impact, I was promoted to Senior System Engineering Manager at AT&T working within the Data Artificial Intelligence team.

  • At 26, after years of strategic investing and diligent personal finance, I officially surpassed a net worth of $1 million and became a millionaire. I continue to stengthen my financial competencies in areas such as real estate and crypto.

  • At 27, well... this year is still being written...

Ask me in person for other stories that I am hesitant to share with the Internet.

I enjoy...

Travel / Geography

  • I was born and raised in New Jersey.
  • My current role and responsibilities at AT&T sometimes require flying to Seattle, Washington.
  • I have been to over 25 countries, a few of which are a little fuzzy in my memory, and many of which I would like to revisit --such as Japan.
  • In 2016, I visited: Denmark (Copenhagen), Finland (Helsinki), Germany (Berlin), Russia (St. Petersberg), Sweden (Stockholm).
  • In 2017, I visited: Hawaii (Honolulu, Maui), Virginia, Washington D.C.
  • In 2018, I did a software engineering internship in Beijing, China which gave me the opportunity to explore: Hong Kong, Shanghai, Fuzhou, and Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto).
  • In 2019, I visited: Florida (Miami).
  • In 2020, I barely traveled 200 feet due to the pandemic.
  • In 2021, I stayed in the US and visited: California (Irvine, Newport, San Diego), Florida (Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton) Illinois (Chicago).
  • In 2022, I began traveling abroad again and visited: Canada (Niagra Falls, Toronto), France (Paris), Italy (Milan, Rome, Venice).
  • In 2023, I visited: Germany, Malaysia, Scotland (Edinburgh), Singapore, Switzerland (Geneva, Jungfrau, Lucerne, Montreux, Zurich), and Thailand.
  • In 2024, I visited: New Orleans, Denver, Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka), South Korea (Seoul), China (Fuzhou), Taiwan (Taipei), Indonesia (Bali), and Singapore.
  • In 2025, I visited: China (Fuzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing), Macau, and Taiwan.

Fun Facts

  • I have a passion for the stock market and general financial markets. As a result, I have built complex spreadsheets and data visualizations to support my investing and trading decisions (with great returns of 17%+ YoY).
  • I am an Apple geek; I follow Apple rumors, launch events, and updates like high school teens follow their favorite celebrity.
  • I could juggle a soccer ball (or football for everyone outside the US) 100+ times without the ball hitting the ground.
  • I have a Fear of Missing Out --better known as FOMO. Consequently, I always "go for it" so I do not have regrets later.

I dream of...

  • making a profound impact on people's lives through technology.
  • flying a plane (and having passengers who trust me as a pilot).
  • always finding inspiration from new connections.
  • enabling a brighter future for those around me.
  • continuously learning to expand my horizons.
  • becoming a United Airlines Million Miler (I know... it is ludicrous).

People Who Inspire Me

If we are friends and you feel like you belong on this list, you are probably right. I am sorry I have not included you. Reach out and I will add you.