| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My most memorable childhood experience may be the time my drumline and I won best in percussion at our last competition. It was my fourth and final year in the marching band and my band director insisted that I take a leadership position as the drum captain. I started off doubting my ability to lead but at the end of the season we ended up taking first place against some of our hardest competition. What makes this especially memorable is the fact that the last time this award was won by our school’s drumline, it was years prior when my mentor who I respect the most took the same accolade at the same competition. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I most immediately identify with my mother. My mother is highly intelligent and sees wit, humor, and sincerity as virtues. Being more on the introverted side, my mother prefers to take in all available information and then act in a succinct manner for maximal effect. She is someone you can confide in who will cherish helping you self-reflect while being unbelievably supportive. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire humor, benevolence, and honesty. I see humor as not only one of the highest forms of intelligence but also a willingness to engage others empathetically. Benevolence to me means a willingness to exude support where appropriate while also prioritizing the support of one’s self. And honesty shows the desire/ability to cooperate with others while also being able to be proud of one’s own achievements. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | My sense of humor can be a little dark so while my life has been full of hyucks with friends, the funniest thing to ever happen to me is going to be a little existential. In school my lowest grades were in math and science. I am way more inclined to literature and music but for some reason I’ve followed my drive and have become a research scientist. I love my work and I’m so excited to further my education but at the end of the day I can’t help but laugh at the fact that what I feel to be my purpose in life is what I am the least capable of doing. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I’d travel everywhere. I’ve been lucky enough to have been to Italy, Belize, Argentina, Japan, and most states in the US. Every time I travel, I get to see people living with a completely different set of values while being undeniably and understandably human. I feel like every time I get to experience another culture a piece of the puzzle that is my own understanding of consciousness and humanity falls into place. If time and money were not an issue, I’d definitely want to see what the completed puzzle looks like. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | When I do have children, I hope I will be able to pass on the best of my personality and enough financial stability to keep life from being too grueling. Personality-wise, I’d like for them to have a good sense of humor. It doesn’t have to be as dark as mine but the ability to make friends laugh and take slights lightly, I think is imperative to happiness. Financially speaking, I’ve seen a number of people come from families who did not always have enough. I want my kids to have time to be kids. Responsibility and a good work ethic can be made through hobbies, playful acts, or good parenting. I never want my kids to have to financially support themselves or their family at the cost of childhood, education, or mental development. |
