| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I had many great childhood experiences, but the most memorable was when I was 12, my mom received a voucher for a free trip to Winnipeg, Ontario after purchasing her Subaru. We drove up and stayed at a nice hotel downtown. We explored the city and found what I still consider to be the best Chinese restaurant I’ve ever visited. The Peking duck was phenomenal. It was a great trip, but the memorable part was coming back when we got to the border. We were asked to get out of the car and sit in an office, my mom didn’t know she was supposed to bring our birth certificates to prove we were citizens. My brother and I are mixed race, so we didn’t look exactly like my mom. We were questioned for a few hours about whether we felt safe and whether we knew our mother. After a while they sent us on our way, but I’ll always remember how nervous my mother was going through the process! |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I most closely identify with my brother. The similarities in terms of preferences and experiences are striking now that we’re older. We both have a strong affinity for ribeye steak, oysters, and most of the dishes my mom made when we were growing up. We both had “too much” Zucchini growing up but have learned to accept it again as worth eating. We both grew up watching the Simpsons on TV after coming home from daycare and could cite most of the episodes between seasons 3-10 line for line and have the same nostalgia and memories around our favorite N64 games that we played together as children. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Responsibility, industriousness, grace, and hope are all very important to me. I try very hard to be a role model for being impeccable with my word and solving my own problems in ways that generate win/wins for those around me. I nor anyone else is perfect, so allowing some room for that to be true while still holding hope that others and I are still working to grow into their best selves is very important to me as well. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | I started two businesses in college. In one we helped Iraqis whose families had moved away from Iraq to the US or UK over the last 50 years sell their homes to local Iraqis. Lots of “funny” moments throughout that experience that were eye opening, but the funniest one was ahead of interview we gave to a news channel. They wanted to do an interview onsite, and we were on the last day of lease for an apartment we had downtown. The new apartment wasn’t furnished or anything so we felt out best option was to have the interview at our current apartment and then frantically try and move out after it was completed as it would look the most “professional.” The news crew came, and our place was mostly in shambles with boxes everywhere, but we preserved the living room, so it looked put together and completed the interview. The part I will always remember is my roommate and mother actively boxing up the kitchen as the interview was taking place and just what a funny experience the whole thing was. You’d never know from the coverage the state of our apartment at the time! |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I’d revisit some places I’ve been previously and loved. Hawaii, Spain, the Netherlands, Mexico, Yellowstone, BWCA etc. I’d also try and visit Alaska, Antarctica, Morrocco, the African Safari, New Zealand, Japan, Turkey, Iraq/Iran (someday). I’ve been thinking about this recently and it relates to the question of what I want to pass down to my children. But my goal with travel is to curate places and experiences I love and share them with my family, friends, and children. There is so much diversity that I have yet to experience that I’d want to get a solid understanding of each before I feel I can figure out what I’m most passionate about as I look forward to how to best use my time. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I have children, and as I mention in another question I have been thinking about this recently. I’ve decided that my goal for my life and children’s is to discover experiences, situations, and places that grow skills, understanding, and empower myself/other individuals to build a better world. I also want to leave them with homes, money, resources, and Bitcoin. We grew together as a family so they and their families can benefit them after I’m gone. It may be worth mentioning that my intention with the money received for being a sperm donor is going to be entirely to Bitcoin purchases which will be saved and set aside for my children and their genetic relatives that may come from this program to share when they are adults. |
