| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My most memorable childhood experience is when my family and I went on a hiking trip for six days in New Mexico. This was memorable because it was one of the most physically challenging things I had ever done in my life. We would go from physical exhaustion, hiking 8 to 10 miles a day, to absolute elation when we reached our new camp site. We would partake in the activities and sightseeing things provided. It also set the foundation for other mountain climbing trips I’ve done since then. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I most closely identify with my younger brother. We are a few months apart from being Irish twins so you can only imagine the mischief we caused as we constantly worked together to understand the world around us while growing up. He and I have done nearly everything together from playing sports and instruments to traveling. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | The traits I admire most in people are honesty and loyalty. I also put great value on people who work hard because I am one and get along great with others who are similarly motivated. Kindness is very important as well. Rudeness doesn’t get you too far. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | The funniest thing that has happened to me is when I made some new friends, and I went to a concert with them. They got us a spot by the stage, right next to the bathrooms. I was waiting in line for the bathrooms and a guy came up and handed me money to skip the line. Not sure what to do, I let him go ahead but not before I stuffed the money back into his pocket without him noticing. After using the bathroom, I walked back to my new friends who happened to be talking to the same guy who gave me money to go to the bathroom. He was complaining to them about how he had to pay to use the bathroom. Obviously, this guy is intoxicated but nonetheless as I walked up to my friends, he looked at me and said, “That's the guy!” My friends’ faces were confused, but as I understood what was going on I poked the guy's pocket that I had stuck his money back into and we all heard it crinkle. I explained that I put it there and would never have taken his money. We all laughed and now those new friends are now some of my best friends. |
| 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 Spain and other European countries. I studied the Iberic Peninsula thoroughly in college and it would be awesome to go and finally put a face to the knowledge that I have. I would also like to visit Norway because I’m fascinated by Viking and other Nordic culture. Let alone the scenery in both countries is breathtaking. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | When and if I have children, I would like to pass onto them financial stability and everything I know about how to achieve this. Secondly, I would love to raise my children in a bilingual or even trilingual household to give them lifelong skills that will benefit them not only as an individual but also if they wanted to pursue a career in interpreting and translating, they easily could make the transition. |
