| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | When I was younger, my family would take an annual summer vacation to various beaches in the southern US. On one such trip, when I was 6 years old, I was in a sea kayak with an older cousin. A large manta ray swam close enough to the kayak that I could have reached out and touched it. Before this I had never actually seen a fish in the ocean, so seeing such a large animal up close was very startling and interesting to me. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I most closely identify with my younger brother. I see many aspects of myself reflected in him, particularly our development towards maturity and the realization of our adult selves. We participated in similar athletics throughout K-12, have matching academic interests and experienced a virtually identical childhood. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire determination and honesty. Goal setting and competition are probably the main drivers of my day to day behavior and I like to see those traits in other people. Simultaneously, the foundation of any relationship is trust. I need to believe that someone is authentic and truthful to really connect with them. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | Several years ago I was eating at a restaurant with a few friends. A C-list celebrity was drinking at the bar and a group of people were attempting to get his autograph somewhat rudely. He was clearly exasperated and got up to leave. As he walked past our table my friend suggested he sit with us and that we would not bother him for his autograph. He accepted and we had a good conversation. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would travel to eastern Europe and ride the Trans-Siberian Railway. I am very interested in classical Russian literature and have yet to travel to Europe, but hope to in the near future. This trip would be a relaxing chance to soak in the beautiful landscape while engaging with authors in a comfortable setting. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I hope to provide my children with financial freedom. I grew up in a relatively blue collar background. The choice to attend college and graduate school was a proposition laden with debt and uncertain career outcomes that I could not fully comprehend as a 17 year old applying to school. I want my children to not have that burden. |
