| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I am originally from a northerly region of our country and to me, that region will always be home. The beauty of the nature, the sharp contrast of seasons, the crisp air and fresh water cannot be beat. Unfortunately, my father was a regional sales manager, and quite good at it. As a child we moved quite a bit, and I was able to experience different cultures up and down the east coast. Each location was defined by its proximity to a major metropolitan area. These varying snapshots of my childhood stick out the most, different people, different lessons, different cultures. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I closely identify with my littlest sister. She is several years younger than me, but to an outsider it may appear we are twins. We share similar passions about education and justice. Our sense of humor is slightly silly, with a pinch of crudeness, and rooted in pop culture. We enjoy similar movies and television shows and we were both high school athletes. Regardless of how far we are apart and how long it has been since we have seen each other, within seconds we are back to our childhood selves, joking and laughing. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire humility the most. As an educator, you are constantly interacting with different people at various stages in their life. The ones who are the most humble, whether it is a student, colleague, administrator, parent, or community partner; their personality is much more attractive to work with and develop a relationship with because of their humility. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | This by far is the most difficult question to answer, because what is funny is extremely subjective. I'll give you some highlights of my adolescence, college years, as boyfriend/fiancee/husband, and as a parent. When I was a teenager I went to see a live talk show in New York, as an aggravated audience member, I insulted one of the guests and was put on the show. The guest then insulted my hair and friends. My friends back home taped it that night, and played it at my high school during our morning announcements. The clip became famous at my school and took on its own life for new students in AV class, in which they made a memorial video for me as if I died, a remix with auto-tune, and their own reenactment. In college, I helped move a friend to a new job in Memphis. While enjoying Memphis and what the city had to offer, my friend and I got in an argument with Major League pitcher Josh Johnson (Miami Marlins) coincidentally, it also happened to be Josh's bachelor party. We tagged along for the next six hours, free alcohol and all things bachelor party related when a major athlete was picking up the tab. My future wife planned our first date. All I knew was we were doing something on Sunday together. She didn't know that on Saturday night my favorite team, of all sports, was in the playoffs. I was out in a sports bar until last call, as the game had gone into extra innings. After getting home, I wasn't in the best shape to be woken up at seven in morning with a surprise to travel to another state to see an NFL game. I got in her car, we made a couple of comments about my night, she took a curve on the road too sharply and I projectile vomited all over her dashboard and windshield. I have not the slightest clue why she was so kind and sympathetic to me that day, but it's our first date story, and I am the luckiest guy in the world. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would definitely travel to the Southern Hemisphere. I would love to see the danger and beauty that is Australia. Then off to New Zealand for the gorgeous scenery and peaceful serenity. Lastly to Argentina and Peru for the history and cuisine. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I wish for my children to have my patience and my wife's ability to analyze. These two skills from each of us would make them dominant people in their fields. Patience to solve any type of problem and look for multiple solutions. Analytics to approach the problem with accuracy and efficiency. |
