| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | One of my earliest memories is visiting a scenic overlook with my mother. The wall reached well above my head, and from my perspective it looked like a sheer drop off into the valley on the other side. I was terrified when my mother picked me up and lifted me over the wall, thinking she was holding me over a ledge. It was a relief when I landed on solid ground on the other side, and I have seldom felt very nervous about anything since. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | Of everyone in my family, I identify most with my grandfather. I loved the summers I spent on his farm, whether it was working with him and learning how everything worked or up in his attic reading all his books on history and science. Our personalities are similar. We’re both a bit stubborn, independent, curious, and easy to draw into a debate. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire stoicism, cleverness, and independence of thought. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | Some of the funniest things that happened to me involve a housemate’s cat in college. Her favorite spot was wedged in between the top of the refrigerator and beneath the cupboards. She developed a habit of surprising me, and only me, by pouncing on to my back whenever I bent over to take something out of the fridge. I still instinctively brace myself when doing so. She also, like many cats, would occasionally deliver us “gifts” she hunted. But on one occasion, as soon as she set down a bird in my feet, it took flight inside our house completely unharmed. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I hope to someday bike from Nevers to Tours in France’s Loire valley, stopping at all the towns and châteaux along the route. The scenery, sights, and food were all amazing when I visited Chinon but the trip was too short and I would love to experience everything at a relaxed pace. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | When I have children, I would like to pass on a love of reading. My parents had a lot of books in the house and were always happy to give recommendations or discuss what I read. |
