| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My most memorable childhood experience was moving to Europe. I remember really not wanting to go because I didn't want to leave my friends and family behind. I had nightmares for months leading up to it because of the anticipation. I was sad for a while after I moved, but I quickly realized that there was a lot to gain from living there. We had the opportunity to travel to many other European countries. I made many new friends. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I most closely identify with my father. We are alike in multiple ways including our overall demeanor and appearance. From early on he taught me not to take life too seriously. He also taught me the importance of making time to enjoy life. Growing up (and still now when I visit home) I enjoyed participating in long debates about everything from politics and religion, to whose football team is better. Sometimes the debates get heated (much to the bane of my mom and sister) but we understand that there are never any hard feelings between us. I haven't been able to have that kind of interaction with anyone else in my life. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | One of the character traits I admire most about a person is honesty. Honesty is important because it is a prerequisite to trust. I believe that true friendships (and for that matter all positive relationships) are based on the a level of trust (or perceived trust) between two individuals. Only then can you drop your defenses and be yourself without reserve. When individuals are dishonest or unreliable it is hard to strengthen relationships with them when you cannot trust them. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | Honestly it is very hard to choose the funniest thing that has happened to me. There are so many isolated incidents so I'll just tell one story. It probably won't be funny to read though. One of the funniest things that happened to me occurred during a long night of drinking. We were at a house party and I apparently wandered out of the party and started wandering the city streets. When I came to, I was sitting on someone's front steps petting a stray cat (in retrospect I'm glad I didn't get rabies). I didn't know where I was so I tried opening random people's doors in search of the party. Eventually my friends found me, brought me home, and I woke up on my steps the next morning. Like I said, this probably isn't very funny, but I can't really think of anything other than wise-cracks or other very minor bits of humor. I wish I had a story that was more appropriate! |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would travel to Egypt and Greece because ancient cultures fascinate me. I would also travel to the moon so that I could look back at the earth and reflect. I would train to become a mountain climber and climb either Everest or K2 (probably Everest since its safer). There are many other things I would do, I would travel to see the world's volcanoes. Every time there is a solar eclipse I would travel to the predicted location of the umbra. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | When I have children I would like them to know that they should not expect anything to be handed to them; they need to earn it. And that they should not let other people define what they want out of their life. They should be the captain and crew of their own ship. They should be satisfied with what they have and their accomplishments, while continuing to dream. Be flexible. Evolving dreams are more fulfilling and have a greater chance for success than stagnant ones. Being open to new ideas and dreams will ensure that you'll always have more successes than failures. |
