hometown

I grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, which is where my family still lives. It is a beautiful state, and I go back every chance I get. I graduated from George Washington High School in 1992.

current

I currently live in Austin, TX, commonly known as "the live music capital of the world." I work as a software engineer in the Linux Solutions Development group at Dell Inc.

My current email address is john@racuza.com.

college

I attended college at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. I played varsity football, for which we won Ivy League championships in 1993 and '94. I received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School, in May 1997.

football

Football has always been my favorite sport and hobby. When September comes, don't ask me to do anything on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, because I'm busy. My favorite NFL team is the Pittsburgh Steelers. My favorite college teams are the Pennsylvania Quakers and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

grad school

After college, I attended graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I received a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in September 1999. I was a research assistant in the Center for Innovation in Product Development. My master's thesis was titled "The Identification of Gaps and Overlaps in the Product Portfolio". I also was involved in the Entrepreneurship Lab, a course sponsored by the MIT Entrepreneurship Center.

snowboarding

I have been snowboarding for about 12 years, and since then I have made snowboarding trips at least once per year. My favorite East Coast resort is Killington (VT), while my favorite West Coast resorts are Squaw Valley (CA), Snowbird (UT), and Whistler/Blackcomb (BC). My current snowboard is a 2004 Burton Baron 167.