| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My most memorable childhood experience has to be winning my first competitive tennis match. I grew up not knowing what sport I was great at but trying them all. With tennis it just clicked. When I was in 7th grade, I finally felt like I had not only learned a sport but have become pretty good on it. The opponent I played was not even close to me and I was able to dominate him 6-0 in straight sets. I was able to ace him 7 times and I knew that this was going to stay with me for a long time. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I closely identify with my father. The biggest reason is because my dad is always helping people even when he doesn’t necessarily have the capacity to do so. I know if anything ever happened to me, he would drop anything he was doing to come and help me. I see myself doing that a lot with people who I care about and try to emulate that compassion for others and putting them before yourself when you can. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire someone’s ability to be compassionate about others and really care about how someone is doing. When someone goes out of their way to remember things about you or ask how you are doing it shows that they are aware of others and want to really know how you are doing. I also think the ability to laugh at oneself is super awesome. I have never been someone to take myself to seriously and it shows that you have a sense of humor and that you know how to have a good time. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | The funniest thing to ever happen to me is when I got slimed on Nickelodeon. It was this game where we had to have sponges attached to our butts and sit in a bucket of water and transfer it to an empty bucket. It was so intense, and I was running as fast as I could to win. I won the competition, and we were able to get slimed on tv. It’s something I will not forget but also something that will probably never happen again. Also, slime has the same consistency as apple sauce. I bet you didn’t know that. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | If money and time were not an issue, I would travel to Italy. One of my dreams is to open a pizzeria and be able to make some great pizza that brings people together. I know it sounds funny, but it has always been my favorite food. So, I would love to go to Italy and learn how to make pizza and master it. I would love to be able to travel all over and share this passion with everyone around me and really create that sense of community. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I would like to pass on my optimism. We live in a world where it is easier and easier to be cynical. I’m not saying to be ignorant to the issues of the world, but I want my kids to be optimistic that they can help be a part of the change in the world. I don’t want them to feel hopeless. I hope that they can truly make an impact. |
