| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I remember reading a biography of Einstein at a young age, and learning about how he was taught to treat math as a kind of mystery game. He was told that X was the mystery, and that all the clues to find out what it was were there,and that if he determined what X actually was, he won the game. That way of thinking about math completely made me think about the subject differently, and is the reason I decided to major in Mathematics. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | My father, because of his work ethic. He is the one that taught me that it doesn't matter what the excuse is, something that doesn't get done still doesn't get done. It's something that has stuck with me through the years and has given me a reason to forego excuses and just finish something regardless. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire the ability to defend one's self, be it physically or mentally. The ability to keep others from getting to you and hurting you has always been something I've admired. Honesty is another wonderful character trait, one that doesn't exist enough in this world but is incredibly reassuring when it is found. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | There was one time I decided to climb down out of a tree using a chain, and for some insane reason I thought I could attach the chain to itself with what basically amounted to a wire twist tie. About half way down the tree, I look up and see that tie unraveling, the next thing I know I'm gasping for air as I hit the ground. Luckily the dirt I landed in was wet, so I just sank. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I have always wanted to travel through Japan and China, the history of those two different countries is so diverse and different from our own. The lands there are fascinating and beautiful in ways that I would love to be able to see up close, and I have always loved the foods from these two places. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | This isn't something I came up with myself, but a quote from the Tao Te Ching: "I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world." |
