| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My time in Boy Scouts was my most memorable childhood experience. It was full of camping trips, leadership opportunities, and high adventure camps. I made great friends in Boy Scouts and learned so many life skills about how to be an independent person and how to survive/thrive no matter what the situation. As an Eagle Scout I still reflect on my days as a Boy Scout and envision my future children also partaking in scouting (in hopes that it is still a good reputable organization then - I know it has had some rocky news headlines recently). My hope is that it is still a very inclusive organization for all participants and continues to teach respect of all persons. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I most closely identify with my sister. We are the two people in our family who went on to higher education and have entered the professional world. She and I share a lot of common beliefs and values as well, and she has always been emotionally supportive in the journey that we call life. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire persons who are selfless and who consistently give to those around them. Some of the most impressive people I know don't give their money as they don't have much, but they give their time, their talents, their love, just to make those around them have better life experiences. In addition to selflessness, I admire those with initiative and a strong work ethic. I usually dislike those that don't live up to their potential, purely out of laziness. I strongly support a good work-life balance, but those who shirk most responsibilities at every moment tend to get on my nerves. I admire persons who are inclusive of all and can set aside prejudice and judgment and treat all others with respect. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | After a weeklong vacation in Minnesota, eating lots of home cooked and fried meals that my body was not used to, I had some very smelly flatulence, and my girlfriend was well aware. For a gift while in Minnesota, I received a large bag of mint M,Ms, and I was so excited because they made my breath so much better. While at the airport, after a very long day of travel because of flight delays, we were standing in line to board the plane, and I couldn't hold in my flatulence. It was quiet, but smelled very terrible, and I said a little too loudly to my girlfriend so that many surrounding people could hear, "I wish they made mint M,M's for my butthole." And I got many very awkward stares and several people who just walked away from the line. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would love to travel more in Europe to get to experience all the different European cultures and history. Most of my travels have been to central America and India (semester abroad), and I have not gotten to experience nearly all that the world has to offer. I also really want to visit Australia/New Zealand - an entire continent full of its own evolution and a seemingly very friendly and welcoming culture! |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | My goal is to pass on to my children the moral values I learned from being raised as an Eagle Scout: always giving back to the community and leading whenever called upon. I hope to teach them that it is important to live a life sustainable to nature, sustainable to self, and sustainable to loved ones and acquaintances. Additionally, I want to pass on love and support to my children, allowing them to grow up to be contributing members of society, but also as they are growing up, allowing them to be kids. I worked a lot from age 15 onwards to help financially support myself and I had to grow up quickly, but with diligence, work ethic, initiative, and some elbow grease I have led a very enjoyable life thus far. |
