| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | When I was in high school, our school had the option to take trips to other states in exchange for doing manual labor for the Outward Bound sites that were located there. After 5 days of hard work cleaning brush, moving rocks and replacing tent platforms, a kind local couple offered us to swim in their quarry. It was a massive, abandoned spot with perfectly cool water, filled with wildlife and had rocks to jump off of. It was an amazing experience with some of my closest friends. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I closely identify with my father for our shared interests and our similar personalities. We both enjoy nature, camping, and gardening which we commonly do together, as well as things like science fiction books he recommends to me. Our similarities in our stubbornness can create long discussions about anything we can think of, which has made us closer over the years. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire someone who is endlessly motivated or disciplined. When I was younger, I sometimes struggled to stay determined to succeed in say a hard math class, and it felt like I could lose all motivation at any moment. I have been working on this aspect of myself and am greatly improved, but it seems some people find it extremely easy to stay determined, and they inspire me. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | We were on a family road trip in our very old Volkswagen van. The trip was going well, everyone was having fun and my dad was talking about how “Gilly” (the name of our car) would never fail. Within a minute of him saying that, Gilly broke down and we were stranded in a random town for 2 days, and although it was a little scary because we still had no way to get home, the timing of the comments was too funny not to laugh. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would take a trip into Europe to explore places like the Dolomite Mountains in Italy and Montserrat, Spain. I have always loved mountains, and my family loves to go on hikes together as well. I also have never been to Europe and would love to explore the cultures and intricacies of the continent. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I would like to pass on the passion towards something I get when I truly care for it. When I do care for something, I am intensely determined individual who is also stubborn, which is a very potent combination of traits. It has allowed me to excel in school when working on projects I love and excel in sports through countless hours of practice. |
