| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | When I was four I visited New York City for the first time with my grandparents. We went to the top of the World Trade Tower and gazed out over the Manhattan skyline, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. I couldn't believe how big the world was. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | My oldest brother, because he is so supportive of me and always has been. When he went off to college I was just starting high school, and he would come home for visits and introduce me to new music and new ideas and totally new ways of looking at the world. I've grown into adulthood with him by my side, always encouraging me to be the best I can be, and challenging me to remain humble and continue learning and growing. I am so grateful to have him in my life. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Patience, generosity, honesty, thoughtfulness, and a sense of humor :) |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | It's not exactly funny, but it's something I'll never forget: Way back when, in the throes of finals week in my junior year of high school, I arrived at my weekly cello lesson without having learned my étude or practiced my concerto. I was deeply ashamed and admitted to my teacher that I was struggling to keep my head above water and hadn't touched my cello in a week. I braced for the worst, but when I looked up and met his gaze, there was no trace of anger in his eyes, or disappointment. Just a quiet, calm understanding; and suddenly I felt fifty pounds lighter. With a wry smile, he declared that since I obviously wasn't prepared for a cello lesson, he would give me a driving lesson instead. And so, stalling and lurching about the empty church parking lot across the street in his old Toyota Corolla, my cello teacher taught me how to drive a stick shift. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would travel all across Italy and go to every art museum and historical site, swim in the Mediterranean, and eat my weight in pizza, pasta, and gelato :) |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | A sense of wonder for the world and optimism for the future, an appreciation for the dignity and decency of all people, and a commitment to helping others and making the world a better place. |
