| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | When I was about five, I almost drowned in a lake. I was on a tube behind a speedboat without a life preserver. I was a very strong swimmer even then, but getting thrown into the water like that is different. It was hard to know which direction was up. I stayed really calm and eventually swam up to the surface and made it out just fine. I still love swimming and even tubing to this day. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | My cousin has been in my life as long as I can remember. Since I was two we would always hang out together, even now when she's almost done with college. Being around her a lot just meant I kind of always understood what was going on with her even if it wasn't all that similar to my own life. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Honesty, sincerity, and an ability to see other perspectives. Being able to think critically while still being open-minded is incredibly hard, but it's the best thing for being a successful and well-rounded person. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | I yelled "Bless you" when guy who lived down the hall from my room sneezed while he was in his room. I do this a lot and there's never a response, but this time he yelled "Thank you" and I thought it was hilarious. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | New Zealand has the biggest variety of activities I'm deeply interested in. You can scuba dive, study rare species and unique evolutionary paths, climb mountains, make films and everything. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | An emphasis on trying things out when you are young enough to develop skill in them. High school and college are too late to find passions and I want to show them that. |
