Mario Townes was born in Maryland to Stuart and Maria Townes.  He has a younger brother and a younger sister.  There are few people he loves more in the world than his niece and nephew. 

Mario grew up in Boise, Idaho.  Early in life, technology grabbed his interested and never let go.  After graduating from the Meridian Technical Charter High School, he earned a bachelors degree in Information Technology from Boise State University.  Later, Mario returned to Boise State to earn a second bachelors in Gaming, Interactive Media and Mobile Technology (GIMM).  He's been working in the technology industry since 2005, and currently works for St. Luke's Health System as a programmer.

Mario really loves getting that gold star.  An avid gamer, he is driven to collect all the trophies in the games he plays.  Other interests include custom PCs and keyboards, quantum physics, and karaoke.  

Because most of his work is done on computers, in his free time Mario enjoys creating things with his hands.  Creating gifts for people is a great way to give something meaningful and unique.  Mario especially enjoys origami and Perler beads!

The future is bright, and Mario hopes to be one of the people that makes it shine!  There are plenty of new technologies to learn to use every day, but augmented reality is where Mario's greatest interests lie.  It's a very new technology with applications that have yet to be explored.

Education is very important to Mario.  His current goal is to work hard and earn a PhD.