| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I took a scouting trip when I was sixteen to the Florida Keys to get certified to dive. When we went on our first dive and I was able to look on what seemed like another world I was in awe. I was able to visit what seemed like another planet and see all of the creatures that inhabited it while floating weightless around them. Knowing that I was in a place that the majority of people would never see in person made it all the more amazing. I hope to go back with my kids one day and see the look on their faces when they experience the underwater world for the first time. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I identify most with my grandmother. She has spent a massive amount of time around me and I have gained many of my qualities from her. I have my strong sense of kindness and selflessness from her as well as a well-grounded moral compass. I tend to speak honestly, to the point where it offends some people, but I prefer that to half-truths and lies. She has never been one to sugarcoat information and I have inherited her method of speech. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Honest and adventurous stand out as the two most dominant traits that I value in an individual. Honesty is the foundation of any relationship and without it all of your interactions become unstable and cheap. Once that has been established I look for people with a strong sense of adventure that are willing to try new things, and push the boundaries of safety. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | On a campout with a few friends we were coming back home exhausted from a weekend of not sleeping and were already laughing at pretty much everything going on around us. However, on the whim of a friend I decided to down an entire bag of sour Skittles for no reason. The resulting explosion of flavor and sour seasoning hit me like a train and I started spitting Skittles all over the floor of the car. My friend also could not stop laughing and to this day I still send him packs of sour Skittles as a reminder and a warning. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | China to study martial arts. I have always been fascinated with the discipline and determination that martial artists pursue their studies with and would love to study under a master in a place where the art originated. To add to this, the country itself is beautiful and vast with many places and landmarks to explore and a different culture to immerse yourself in. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | Kindness to other people. So many people forget that we are all human beings and treat others badly, then go to church the next day to preach others on acceptance. I hope that my kids will look at problems objectively and learn to use logic over emotion no matter how trying the situation. I feel that if I can pass on these traits and skills they will be well-set for anything life can throw at them. |
