Essay Questions

What is your most memorable childhood experience?When I was about 10 years old, I went up to the boundary waters to go camping with family. We went water tubing, exploring, and slept out on the beach watching the stars with the sound of loons all around us.
What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why?This question is difficult in that I wouldn't like to pick a particular family member. I grew up with 5 brothers and if you get us together it creates a dynamic that leaves us rolling on the floor laughing.
What character traits do you admire in an individual?Humility and empathy are by far the most admirable of traits.
What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you?One time a few of my brothers and I went on an exploratory canoe trip on the border of Canada. We had to carry our canoes through fallen trees and even climbed a cliff by a 40 foot waterfall to get up to the next part of a stream we found. After about 2 hours in, we decided to turn around. Seeing as we are all competitive, this turned into something we refer to as the "great race" which was caught on camera. We spent the next hour or so racing each canoe back. We'd get out of the boat to cut corners when the stream made a zig zag, try to pull each others boat back, and just about anything else to get ahead. We still to this day haven't decided who won... One team got their boat out first (only because the other team "helped" carry the boat over a fallen log and then pushed it out to sea). The other got all of their team members to the end first (same team with the boat sent out to sea). I'm inclined to believe the team that got all its members to the end first is the winner. Then again, I was on that team so there's that bias.
If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why?It's not where you travel that matters. It's who you travel with. I could go anywhere in the world, but without good company it would be hollow and lonely. On the other side, with good company, even undesirable places can be an amazing experience.
When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them?From the day I was born I've had a very inquisitive and questioning mind. I would hope that my children are brave enough to use logic even in the face of difficult truths. Doing or believing in something just because it is more socially acceptable or makes one feel good can be tempting. I understand that, but I believe humanity should apply logic and scientific method even to long standing traditions. Think for yourself.