CV

Curriculum Vitae

Zavier Henderson

Born 10/7/1999

z@isinstantlife.com

Education:

2004-2015: This is when I was in traditional education pathways, Elementary, Middle and half of High-school.

• Taught me that sitting still is no way to learn or live.
• Taught me the value of waste products including organic waste, paper, glass, food scraps, and plastic that I can recycle and melt down myself.
• Learned that I will only be happy with myself I am doing the things that I love.
• Made me value my time.

2013-2014: Started programming, making video games, creating movies/documentaries, and digital painting.

• Made me realize I am the only person who can make my dreams come true.

Late 2014: When I took interest in bioscience and biotech. I was first inspired by plant tissue culture and DNA fingerprinting.  

• Grades started to fluctuate more than ever due to spending time teaching myself while ignoring increasing amounts of homework.
• Started taking online college courses.
• Began viewing school as a waste of time and space that teaches kids only how to fill out paperwork.

2016-2018: School realizes that they can’t really teach me anything more than I can teach myself. Grants me an Independent Learning Opportunity where I determine how I meet the standards and requirements.

• Joined The Ray Cat Solution Team.
• Displayed and presented at local Maker Faires.
• Was awarded $500 grant money to hybridize plant species via methods of DIY protoplast fusion.
• Starting to practice tissue culturing and sterile technique with homemade lab equipment.

2018-Present Day: Teaching myself at my home lab and mentoring/collaborating with other Biohackers. Working towards starting a community lab in Vermont with Stephen Aldrich.

• Working in NYC with Sebastian Cocioba on plant protoplast fusion.
• Made a mushroom farm on my property.
• Did an interview with Rob Stein of NPR on using CRISPR in my basement lab to genetically engineer plants

Skills and Certifications

• Deep love for problem solving and creative approaches.
• Strong desire to understand and learn.
• Can figure out how to use most computer software, with experience in the complete Adobe Suite, Unity3D, Blender and more.
• Many passions and desired crafts/mediums for artistic expression.
• I have completed MIT’s 7.00x “The Secret of Life” with Eric Lander
• I am always a fresh perspective in teamwork settings considering I am accustomed to working with people older than me.
• I think sustainably and long term, understanding large problems like antibiotic resistance, laziness/devaluation of vital resource, and climate change.

Outlook

I don’t let myself be pointless. I am only alive for the reasons I give myself. I want to make a change in the world in a way most don’t. I aspire to be free whatever that may be in every passing moment. I can be pessimistic about in humanity as a whole, but I am optimistic of what I can control and influence with imagination.