There are many reasons why I’ve performed in theatre.
Amateur acting has always been a genuine pleasure. I’ve had a real laugh doing plays at school at university. I genuinely love the performance, the excitement, the bonding, the romances, the cast parties, the bitching - everything. It’s an experience that I’d heartily recommend to anyone who’s curious and hasn’t tried it yet!

• I’ve been in countless productions during the past 10+ years with my local theatre company - Pinner Players Theatre Company.

• I’ve starred in extra roles for film & TV

• Performed the lead role for Harrow School’s cinderella pantomime (I was Prince Charming, not Cinderella)

• Performing on-stage with the English National Opera

A portfolio which bullies would call inspiring!

As a human being who lives on earth, I’ve developed my own opinions about current political, social and economic issues.

I strive to to base my arguments on facts and analysis, drawing from a broad range of reliable sources, rather than simply touting emotionally fuelled rants.

I see the best in people and passionately believe that it takes all sorts to make a world.

Where I stand firm is that Liz Truss is a lizard. Nothing will convince me otherwise. 🦎

There’s real purity to physical pursuits.

Admittedly a latecomer to sports, having spent my lunchtimes at the library during my school years, now realising the importance of exercise.

Nowadays I’ve run in several races, marathons, Spartan challenges and Tough Mudders. I’m in a Gaelic Football team and cycle instead of driving.

Pets provide companionship, bring joy to my life, give me affection and make everything ten times better.

I’ve volunteered with the Leeds Guide Dogs Trust because deep down, I identify as a Labrador.

Collaborating with the UK’s largest AWS Program provider to provide technical guidance, motivation & ongoing support to Cloud students.

• Assisting in virtual classrooms led by AWS Champion Instructors

• Leading study-sessions and technical presentations. Leveraging my pedagogical background to design, describe & define solutions for studentswith emergent knowledge.

• Presenting technical deep-dives.

Recently discovering my green thumb, I’m cultivating a Bonsai Tree

Strava local hero!
Best form of cardio in my opinion

With some of the world’s greatest museums at my doorstep, I keep an eye out on exhibitions in London.

Namely: The Science, History & British Museum.

I enjoy unwinding with videogames. My favourites are Age of Empires, Battlefield and The Last of Us.
The only first-person shooters I play are those with teamkilling enabled.

• Have a 100% note streak achievement for Sultans of Swing on Guitar Hero: World Tour

• I also play Second Life where I’ll main a John McAfee head.

I have passed all of ABRSM’s piano performance grades and theory tests.
Claude Debussy is my go-to guy. And for something a little more modern, I jam to Billy Joel and Elton John (who grew up in my hometown and has a close connection to my area).

On the flip side, I’m self taught on the guitar, drawing inspiration from blues, rock and alternative music.

Linguistics is scientific study of language & communication. It has an increasingly important impact on other fields as diverse as psychology, philosophy, education, language teaching, sociology, anthropology, computer science, and artificial intelligence!

Studying linguistics at university has opened up several different career paths.

• I’ve benefitted from excellent analytic and writing skills needed in editorial and public-facing roles

• I’ve taught English in foreign countries, and taught foreign languages in England.

• I’m currently learning Portuguese & Arabic (400+ day streak on Duolingo 🦉)

In recent years, the demand for people with linguistics background into tech has exploded with the advent of NLP and computational linguistics.

Perhaps it’s my namesake - Marco Polo - which makes me want to travel the earth.

Some of my best memories come from abroad, broadening my horizons and meeting new people.

Over the course of my lifetime, I’d like to run a marathon in all 7 continents (Antarctica is going to suck, though).

I love maps.

They’re beautiful visually and inspire the imagination. But most importantly, they arrange spatial and historical information about the world.

• I play semi-competitively on GeoGuessr

• Studied maps as a boy scout

• I’m a Google Community member with 1 million + views on my ratings & posts

• Paid to categorise maps for WeLocalise

• One time I traversed the entire lengths of the Great Wall of China on Google StreetView to gain a better appreciation of China.

Picking up these skills gradually, I’ve become familiar with editing and publishing media

• Written a psychology blog which has amassed 500,000+ views on WordPress

• Worked as an online copywriting intern for a multi-national furniture store

• Occasional YouTube edits

• GoPro montage edits

• Completed professional photography courses via Udemy & Coursera to elevate my footage

• Experience as a late-night karaoke DJ and local radio host

• Written articles on AWS

• Designed and built everything on this website, unassisted

• Academic & Social representative for societies and clubs at university.

These vocational pursuits have helped my confidence in publishing media

And I’m not ashamed of it either.

Big fan of:

• Works by Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Dawkins, Yuval Noah Harari

• Dune

• Mad Max

• Jurassic Park

• Lord of the Rings

• Game of Thrones

• The Expanse

• The Martian

• and much much more…
  

I design and sell my own range of T-shirts.

A bit of harmless fun which has evolved into a small part-time business

I support charities as much as I can.

It’s a deeply rewarding exercise to bring a positive impact onto people’s lives. Acting on my feelings of responsibility is my way of reinforcing my own values; Actions speak louder than words

• I’ve volunteered with the Chartered Institute of Linguists

• The Leeds Guide Dogs Society

• Local Theatre Companies

• Collaborated in research projects

• Volunteered for Dubai Expo 2020: The World’s Fair

• Fundraisers to Nicaragua, Kenya, Costa Rica & Nicaragua

Essentially being raised by the Top Gear trio as my father figures - I love cars

• I’ve raced in amateur karting leagues

• Won several races

• Have travelled to see the F1 circus

• Taken cars off-roading and camping

• Drove from Holland to Poland on a 2000km round trip through France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Sweden.

• Stood in the Dutch stands as Max Verstappen took the legendary Abu Dhabi 2021 Grand Prix

• CARS DRIVEN:
  - Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (2011)
  - Ford Mustang (2019)
  - Mitsubishi Xander (2021)
  - Nissan Pajero (2014)
  - Lotus Exige (2021)
  - Nissan Patrol S (2020)
  - Vauxhall Corsa (2015)
  - Ford Ecosport (2015/2018)
  - Mazda 3 & 6 (2018)
  - Toyota Yaris (2019/2020/2021)
  - Nissan Sunny (2022)
  - Audi TT (2015)
  - Chevrolet Camaro (2021)
  - Audi Q8 (2017)
  - Jeep Wrangler (2014/2020)
  - Renault Megane (2011)
  - Renault Clio Supersport (2011)
  - Renault Laguna (2013)
  - God-knows-what-GoKarts
  

Diagrams and charts are important because they present information visually. The adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” applies when it comes diagrams

• So I take advantage of illustrating to help convey information

• Ninety-three percent of communication is nonverbal.

• Sixty percent of people are visual learners.

• Publishers who use infographics realize an increase in traffic of 12% over those who don't

Running is super cardio!

• It’s good for my heart, legs and feet.

• It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.

Photography is my passion because I use it to express myself.

People find different ways to share their emotions and thoughts with the world:

• Some express themselves as dancers, while others as writers.

• Photographers use images to show people how they see everything around them

Trying to be someone else never ends well, so I just be myself instead!

With painting, it helps me enhance my coordination, it boosts my memory recollection skills and it sharpens my mind.

Plus it helps me relax, and I end up with pretty pictures 🎨

I’m Spanish.

We’re known for our siestas 💤

Tinkering in the modern context is a process of trying something to figure out what works or doesn’t to find your way to the best solution, often going through many iterations, or changes, along the way.

And it’s not just students that can benefit from a little tinkering.

• As an educator and lifelong learner, I have been submitted to, engaged myself in, planned, delivered, and coached others through countless professional learning opportunities. The ones that stick and are most successful, involve voice and choice

No matter the type or size of model, there is a stages involved in order to complete these projects.

• I enjoy learning the history behind these models, constructing them, painting them and applying finishing touches.

• The joy of model making is that I commit my time and energy into a rewarding hobby