Ian was born and raised in Lincoln, Massachusetts to parents Harold and Lynda Engstrom. He attended the University of Washington, where he received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and rowed for their crew team. Ian helps run rowing-based youth outreach programs in the Seattle area and co-manages a DAF that finds and funds mentors and role models for those programs. Ian also enjoys reading and studying history in his free time, and his interest in African American History led him to contribute to Black Past and help publish and publicize unheard stories