Originally from Vilnius, Lithuania, I began my journey as a competitive athlete. I represented the Lithuanian National Team in multiple FIBA Championships—winning a European silver medal in 2008—before moving to the U.S. to play Division I basketball at Dartmouth College. During my undergraduate studies, I pivoted from athletics to academics, developing a passion for computer vision and machine learning. Today, I leverage my background in sports to inform my research, bridging the gap between competitive athletics and AI.