| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | It may seem silly, but when I was younger around Christmas time, my parents would always say that the dinner "fairies" were coming to make sure we finished our food, so that Santa knew we were being good. The fairies were little flashes of light on the ceiling that only came out around dinner time and would stay with us till the end. Well one day, my brother and I were playing around with a mirror and I looked up to notice that one of the fairies was overhead...I immediately figured out that we had been duped. You see we had overhead lights above our table and we used stainless steel silverware that had been reflecting the light back onto the ceiling. We promptly marched downstairs with the mirror in hand, called our parents into the dining room, flicked on the lights, and showed them our discovery. At first they laughed, but then my mom and dad both commended us for our logic abilities and took us out to Pizza Hut that night to celebrate. From this, I believe that I have never stopped asking the question as to why things occur. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I would have to say my father. He is incredibly interested in working with his hands and always strives to do it himself rather than hire an "expert." I have always been around him during his wood-working, home repair, computer building, and flight lessons (which we took together). We watch the Three Stooges, the Honeymooners, and Bond films together, much to my mother's dismay. He has always taken an interest in whatever new hobby I find myself in and was always ready to help building my science fair projects. I hope that one day I will be able to show my children such love. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I have always taken great pride in being called down-to-earth, thus I admire this similar trait in others. I believe that hard-working, ethical, and trustworthy people seem to excel in this world, but also need a sense of humor and to be able to laugh at themselves because there is too much absurdity in this world to have it go unnoticed. These traits, I believe, always lead to a person that can understand the complexity of an issue and empathize with both sides, but is also able to come to a fair conclusion based on a combination of evidence and their own beliefs. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | The answer to this has to be another "childhood" story. I was taking a shower one morning and had forgotten to get my towel from the laundry room. I originally yelled downstairs to see if anyone was home (it was the middle of summer) and when no one replied I proceeded down the stairs to collect my towel. About three steps from the bottom of the wooden stairs that leads to a hardwood floor, my aunt states, rather, proclaims my name from around the corner. I, of course, jump from the surprise and slip down the stairs, landing semi-face first on the floor. So now I am lying naked on the floor with a bloody nose...and my aunt is there to witness the whole thing. It is now safe to say, that I check for my towel every...single...time before I head to my morning shower. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would have to say that I would travel to Egypt, mostly along the Nile Valley. I find the Fertile Crescent to be one of the most fascinating areas due to its significance for providing information about periods in history, mostly due to the fact that it contains the beginnings of agriculture. In addition, it boasts some of the best Neolithic sites in the entire world, dating back to the potential origin of society. It is simply a place that cannot be forgotten if we all intend to move forward. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I hope that they will be as fascinated with the world as I am. I want them to be the person that "talks too much" because to me, that means they are forming their own opinions and are willing to put them out there in order to create better solutions. I want them to leave no stone unturned and to always be the one that people go to when they have a question only "that" person can answer. From this, I also hope that they gain the understanding of the human experience and how unique it truly is. |
