| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | I have memories from preschool of some friends and I using toy musical instruments to perform as a band. Every day we would organize, choose instruments and roles, and perform children's songs for our classmates. Typically the only intelligible part of the music was the lyrics, and sometimes those were a little off. Of course the accompaniment was all over the place, as we hammered xylophones and toy drums until one classically trained teacher saw our genuine interest and began instructing us. That's where I began reading music, recognizing pitch, and started learning the very basics of music theory. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I try to emulate my father. He is a brilliant man, with an unparalleled understanding of the natural world, and he taught me to love the biological sciences. More importantly, he taught me the harmony of science and spirituality; that our knowledge of the mechanisms of life does not compromise our religious faith, but furthers our moral responsibility to all living things and enhances our bond with the universe.
He's also very compassionate, devoted to helping those in need, and was instrumental in starting two orphanages in a developing country. He's shown me the importance of giving and selflessness. A true saint.
My family members always say that of all my siblings, I am molded most closely in his image in every way. Every day I endeavor to be as wise, caring, and humble as he. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Intellect and aptitude, empathy and understanding, ardor, stoicism and nobility, creativity and artistic ability, devotion, altruism. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | In my high school wind ensemble, I was notorious for falling over during performances. Being first-chair trumpet, I would be seated at the very edge of a crowded riser. It happened on multiple occasions, seriously, two or three times a year. I would be sustaining a long high note, straining with my eyes closed, leaning back too far, and crash back over the riser into the trombones, right at the height of the song's climax. Or I might have been resting, keeping time by tapping my foot too hard, slowly shifting my chair toward the edge of the riser until my seat and I would topple to the floor. By senior year I was standing next to the riser to avoid my accidents, but I liked to believe that the audience was missing my impeccable comedic timing. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I cannot wait until we begin exploring our solar system more actively. I would want to visit Europa, one of planet Jupiter's sixty-four moons. Europa has an iron core covered in silicate rock, underneath a sixty-miles-thick layer of saltwater and a surface crust of ice, surrounded by an atmosphere of mostly oxygen. Though exotic, this moon would likely be a harsh place to visit and not extraordinarily beautiful. What it does have are all the basic requirements for microbial marine life as we know it on Earth. Europa has these conditions, not just possibly billions of years ago, but certainly right now. I would love to study the composition of that covered sea. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I want my children to understand that consciousness and expression create one's reality. A truly free person is master and creator of their own destiny. I hope they will know the urgency of resolving all types of conflict, whether private (moral, spiritual, reasoning) interpersonal, or societal. I will urge them to keep their pathways open and unobstructed, to move ahead with determination. |
