| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I remember I was running around outside my church playing tag. This was after religion class, there were a few of us playing tag. I was running away from the person who was it. I looked back to see the kind of distance I had between us and as I turned back around I ran the center of my forehead into a parking sign. I tried to act cool in front of my friends as my dad got me into the car and proceeded to drive to urgent care. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | The family member I identify most closely with is my father. We have similar mental tendencies and he is an excellent mentor for me. He is very understanding and is helpful in my growth as a sensitive man. I was a swimmer since 6th Grade, and he drove me to all my early morning practices. He taught me how important our word is, you owe it to yourself to live up to what you say. We spent many hours in a car on road trips to competitions, where he shared stories of his own childhood. Recently we had a great conversation about our affinity for writing. He was cleaning his office and came across his old writings as well as mine. We enjoy discussing similarities and differences between one another. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I really appreciate honesty. Also the ability to hold a conversation and being present are important. Being hard-working is a must; to know the joy of a difficult job done right. Good humor is also very important! Other traits I admire are: Curiosity, Resilience, and Critical Thinking. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | When I was in my Junior year of high school, I was able to go to France that summer with the French Club. Four days before I was to catch the flight, my parents were out and my guy friends were over; simple recipe for disaster. Later that night, one of us came up with an exciting challenge. My neighbors sprinkler system was on, so the question became who wants to streak and run through a sprinkler? It became clear that we all had to do this. As I was running around the front yard, I began to hear a car coming up the hill. I dive down to lay flat in the grass. My ring finger caught the ground weird, bent and broke a bone in my hand. My parents returned two days later, I had to explain what had happened. I had to go to France with a broken hand! |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | East Asia. Culture and history are ingrained in their lives. How they view one another and stand up to the responsibilities of being human. I would also like to travel to some of the poorest places on earth, there are too many people on this planet that don’t feel the value and intrinsic beauty it is to be human. Those who are less fortunate are just people like you and me; trying their hardest to make sense of this place. They often see the true beauty of this place. Sunrises over wheat fields, the humidity and sun in between coffee plantations. The playful agility and innocents of young slaves gathering cocoa beans in the tropics. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | Wisdom and experiences with plenty of opportunities. Also: be impeccable with your words; don’t take anything personally; don’t make assumptions; and always do your best. |
