In Boise, Idaho, he was raised and
home-schooled along with his younger brother with a curriculum based mostly on the
Srimad Bhagavatam (
Bhagavata Purana), from which he learned English, comprehension skills, critical thinking, debate, and communication. He also took maths and science as separate subjects, as well as
Sanskrit, which he loved. At the age of thirteen he enrolled at the
Boise State University, and in 1999 when he was seventeen he received a
Bachelor of Arts in
Philosophy and a
Bachelor of Science in
Applied Mathematics as well as the university's highest honor, the Silver Medallion. and in 2000 he received a
Master of Studies (MSt) in the
Study of Religion. His thesis focused on the early development of
Vedanta philosophy in the
Chaitanya Vaishnava tradition, based on original manuscript sources. ==Career==