About me

An engineer, builder, and all-around curious person.

Elena Welch in a white dress and cowboy hat, smiling outdoors among trees

My story

I’ve always liked knowing how things work.

Not just enough to use them. I want to understand what’s actually happening underneath, why something isn’t working, and what happens if I change it.

I also learned pretty early that the way something is normally taught isn’t always the way I’m going to understand it.

I have dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, so I got used to finding different ways to learn.

I think those two things have ended up going together.

If I don’t understand something, I want to take it apart, see how it works, try it myself, and figure out what I’m missing.

That’s how I learn engineering, how I’ve built businesses, and how I’ve approached most things I’ve cared about.

Difficulty doesn’t mean I can’t do something. It usually means I haven’t found my way to do it yet.

How I learn

I learn by doing.

Show me something, let me use it on a real problem, and I’ll understand it much faster than I will from a page of rules.

That’s also why I tend to start things before I know everything about them.

Building usually shows me what I need to learn next.

Football

I was the first girl to play football at both my middle school and my high school.

I played wide receiver and kicker in middle school and later kicked in Texas 6A high school football.

I didn’t wait for someone to tell me I could.

Elena, number 23, kicking the ball off the hold as defenders rush in
Elena on the field in her football uniform, holding her helmet
Read the article

“Big kick for womankind,” Vandegrift Voice, September 2021

My interests

Engineering & technology

I like knowing how things work and figuring out how to make them better, and lately that includes building software with AI tools.

Watersports & the outdoors

Wakesurfing, wakeboarding, foiling, and kiteboarding. I grew up on Lake Austin, so the water has always been a big part of my life.

Sports & competition

Football, soccer, and pretty much anything with a team and a scoreboard.

Travel & exploration

I’ve been to Europe, Turkey, Brazil, and the Bahamas so far, and I’m always looking for the next place to go.

What I’m working toward

Right now, I’m studying mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama while building TheEverlasting.

I’m fascinated by where AI is going and what it allows someone to build that they couldn’t have built before.

I don’t know exactly where all of this takes me yet.

I know I want to keep building.