| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My most memorable childhood experience was winning a Llanero-style Venezuelan dance competition when I was 5. This experience was memorable because I had so much fun, and I’ve never seen my mom so proud of me. I earned a trophy for winning! |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I closely identify with my maternal grandfather. We are both very social, love our family, strive for strength, and live for honor. He went to fight in WW2 so that he could pay for his college. He graduated summa cum laude with a chemical engineering degree; afterward, he went back to Venezuela to earn money so that he could pay for his 9 siblings’ education. One of my favorite memories is when he taught me how to jump rope when he was 75 years old. He looked very much like Rocky! |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire honesty and honor in an individual. I believe that telling lies is one of the things that separates the good from the bad. I see lying as a weakness. In my opinion, if you are honest, then that shows how reliable you are. Honor is great to have because it keeps you centered on doing good things in the world. I display these traits in my daily life by trying to do the right thing every chance I can. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | The funniest thing ever to happen to me was when I was 21 years old country dancing at a bar filled with 200 people. I was dancing so much that my pants ripped, but I kept on dancing. I was so embarrassed at first, but I just figured, “Let’s have some fun and show the world a good time.” |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | If time and money were not an issue, I would travel to all of Europe because it has a lot of different cultures and amazing food. Specifically, I am intrigued by the Scandinavian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian cultures. I’ve visited Italy and Spain before, and I would consider living in Europe. I would love to try any type of dish in Italy and Spain. I am also interested in what kind of food Scandinavian people eat. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | When and if I ever have children, I would like to pass on to them the ability to know right from wrong and to encourage them to be strong and kind. I think it’s important to have these characteristics because if I am responsible for putting more people in this world, then I would wish for them to make it better and for that reason, it’s important to uphold these values. |
