Meet RJ Garma | Engineer and Aspiring Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with RJ Garma and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi RJ, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
My family immigrated from the Philippines when I was five. I grew up in Salem, OR and what I remember most from my childhood is how hard my parents worked to make ends meet. From the long hours, to studying nights, and Thanksgivings spent at a good friend’s house when my parents had to work – I will always cherish these memories because they serve as reminders of the sacrifices they made for me and my sister. I’ve always had an interest in art, but my ambitions and love for engineering eventually led me to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. My time in the military taught me the importance of team-building and that the positive relationships you develop with teammates is key to strengthening the organization’s culture and effectiveness. For me, building positive relationships is largely a function of setting boundaries for yourself while keeping an open mind and taking in new and/or diverse points in of view. The military also gave me the opportunity to go to grad school, which is where my love for engineering and art finally intersected. A main portion of my PhD was devoted to understanding the science behind how cameras work, which naturally led to an interest in photography. This interest eventually grew into a hobby and now borderlines on obsession – I work professionally as an engineer, but I dream of the day I can fully devote myself to photography. I love chasing sunrises/sunsets and photographing nature and landscapes in that lighting. More recently I’ve been focused on astrophotography, mainly due to the convenience setting up a telescope and computer in my backyard. With that done I can photograph the stars from the comfort of my living room while keeping an eye on my toddler. I hope I’ll be as much of an inspiration to him as my parents were to me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Professionally, I’m an engineer in the Aerospace industry. I just started a new position so I’m just generally exited about where my path will go in the next few years. Since I was a kid I’ve always dreamed of being an engineer. I’d like to think that where I am today is a result of deliberate planning and hard work, but looking back on my career I think a lot of it had to do with just being at the right place at the right time and knowing the right people. Speaking of knowing the right people, I’ve had the chance to work with some brilliant folks over the years and compared to them I’m pretty average. However, a result of having only average intelligence is that I’ve developed a knack for being able to explain complex things in simple terms – I think this is one of my distinguishable skills. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that its important to make time for yourself. Whether it’s blocking off time on your calendar to get work done, taking a mental health day, or going on vacation – its important to take care of yourself so you’re then able to take care of the team.

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.
This is probably the hardest question to answer yet from the bunch. Some background: We moved from DC to Colorado in 2019 and spent that first year mainly exploring nearby towns. Then the pandemic happened and we spent a lot of that time at home. In the middle of all that we had our first baby, so even after things started opening up we found it hard to get back out there. We do have a few favorite spots on our local area: 24 Carrot for dinner, Teocalli for drinks, and Gondolier for Italian food. We’ve also really enjoy going to the Denver Zoo, Aquarium, and The Wild Animal Sanctuary. I really love the mountains so taking a best friend snowboarding (Winter Park is my favorite) or hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park or Indian Peaks is a must. In terms of things we’d eventually like to do: go to a concert at Red Rocks and go to a Broncos/Nuggets/Rockies/Avs game.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my parents for being my rock, my sister for being an inspiration to take risks and do great things, and my wife – you’re the best partner and Mom I could have asked for, and thanks for putting up with all of my Amazon orders.

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

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rj-garma-971b151