Meet Paris B Garrett | Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) Software Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paris B Garrett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paris B, what role has risk played in your life or career?
In a sense, we humans are just like birds. Some of us are able to soar high above the clouds, some of us choose only to hover close to the ground, and tragically many of us never quite learn to use our wings at all. The difference is simply in taking that initial risk to leap from our metaphorical nests to figure it out. For a long time, I was among those who never learned how to use my wings…

I was an adult, living with a parent, had only “some college” on my resume, was working at a restaurant making salads for $9 an hr, and even had a blemish on my criminal record. Statistically people with this type of profile are largely considered societal failures, yet this situation is a norm for an overwhelming portion of people from my community. I believe part of the reason for this is because we’ve been conditioned to believe the false narrative that we aren’t capable.

That same year I ultimately worked my way up to assistant manager and everyone around me was so proud. Everyone except for me… That’s why I decided to quit! Because right then I realized that none of us should be limited by a proverbial ceiling, and I was determined to learn how to fly through my own.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Prior to becoming a 2x Apple AI/ML Research Engineer intern, a 3x NASA Langley Computer Vision intern, a Google CSRMP (2023a) mentee, co-author of two (relatively uncited) AIAA published technical research papers, and the founder of a financial literacy startup (Learn2stock.com), I had never even heard of coding and the only thing I knew about science was that Spiderman used to go to MIT.

I am personally from the Greenspoint area in Houston (affectionately nicknamed “Gunspoint”) and after graduating high school I made the mistake of thinking I didn’t need any more education. I wound up spending the next decade just trying to figure life out, but without education to guide me I foolishly attempted several shortcuts that eventually landed me in a prison cell for 3 years. Having a record ultimately led to me only being able to find odd jobs at restaurants working as a dishwasher/salad “cook” (and I use the term “cook” here very loosely, lol).

One year I worked my way up to assistant manager at one of these restaurants and everyone around me was so proud. Everyone except for me… That’s when I decided to quit! Because right then I realized that none of us should be limited by a proverbial ceiling, and I was determined to learn how to fly through my own.

It took a few weeks of me first trying everything from construction, screenwriting, and even rapping (it definitely wasn’t giving J.Cole by the way) before I eventually stumbled upon programming. Once I did, I started teaching myself and my interest in it was strong enough to lead me back to school to obtain an associate degree in computer programming. Being able to learn about something I was actually passionate about finally gave me a sense of purpose, and this was reflected even in my academic performance. I graduated from Houston Community college with a 3.8 GPA and was then able to attend Texas Southern University in pursuit of my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science largely thanks to the scholarships that I received from Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and Louis Stokes Alliance [for] Minority Participation [in STEM] (LSAMP). The rest is now history.

Despite what my resume/LinkedIn may say, I still don’t feel I’ve truly accomplished much of anything quite yet. Obviously, I’m proud of everything I’ve learned, built, and been able to participate in up to this point, but I feel it has all merely laid the foundation for what it is that I ultimately hope to achieve. While I still am not exactly sure what that will be, I am sure that I want to use AI to somehow build something that assists in bridging the wealth gap and mending the political discourse that currently exists within our society.

I’m by no means stating any of this to brag, but rather to point out that if education can so drastically improve the life of someone who used to be viewed as a “lost cause”, imagine the affect it can have on all others who choose to embrace it? What if we started chasing degrees and LLCs rather than “likes” and “follows”?

We really can be/do anything we set our minds to, but the problem is that most of us don’t even believe we are capable. So, to whoever is reading this, the very fact that you are alive is proof that you have a purpose and I promise you can achieve literally anything you aspire to regardless of your background. All I ask is that you please continue to push yourself to strive for even higher levels of success than you already have reached. Find your passion and chase it relentlessly! It won’t be easy, there will be haters, and it will take a lot of hard work, but we are all counting on you to help us further the betterment of human society. Some wise, anonymous internet person once said, “Chase your passions and money will come. Chase money and you may never find your passions.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
All of Houston is an amazing place, so try any/everything while you’re here! You won’t be disappointed.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Every step I’ve taken so far in pursuit of climbing the corporate ladder wouldn’t have been possible without the advice of the many mentors I’ve encountered who encouraged me to embrace education.

People like Jeffrey Stear (Houston Community College), Greg Mekkes (NASA), Sharon Fitzgerald (NASA), Chester Dolph (NASA), Michelle Tolbert (LSAMP), my HBCU (Texas Southern University), the entire Thurgood Marshall College Fund organization, Kevin Burleigh (Northrop Grumman), Tracie (Apple), Jazbo (Apple), Adrianna (Apple) and so many others who saw more in me than even I did in myself at the time. I am extremely grateful and apologize to anyone that I may have unintentionally left out.

Website: https://learn2stock.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cognition22/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parisgarrett/

Other: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=9sCJNAQAAAAJ