Family – Love, humor, responsibility. I am the oldest of six siblings. I am a husband and a brother-in-law. I am a classmate, a teammate, and a roommate. I have many good friends and I am a good friend to many. I attended birthdays, weddings, commencements, graduations, funerals, and cookouts. I actively instill an almost tangible quality into every relationship in which I engage to the point that walking into class feels like a family reunion.
Athleticism – Energy, creativity, team building. I have participated in athletic activities since I was a child. I believe in physical fitness for training the build up and release of energy in both athletic and professional activities. I love to employ improvisation in group sports like soccer, and also to create new games to allow a playful free thinking approach to challenges. Team sports cultivate communication and interdependence that translates easily to a professional and/or academic setting where we must rely on and support our peers.
Ingenuity – Courage, dedication, initiative. I have a knack for appreciating the mission of an organization and finding ways to improve it. In the Religious Studies department at UVA, I founded a peer mentorship program to help make newcomers feel more included and well oriented. At Rosetta Stone I developed new sales techniques. Growing up on a farm, I planted potatoes in old tire treads to increase warmth and retention of nutrients.
Stamina – Vigilance, perseverance, faith. From supporting myself through college, to riding my bicycle everywhere I go, to working three part time jobs at once, to entering long distance foot races - I take on more than seems possible and exhibit stamina in finishing what I start no matter how tough it gets.
Inspiration – Hope. I discover inspiration in many places – the pages of National Geographic Magazine, watching Olympic athletes, listening to a pediatrician give wellness advice to his patients. Many people continue to put hope, faith and love into me because I have a tremendous capacity to receive inspiration and use it to make their world a little better. In return, I seek through both example and guidance to inspire those around me by supporting my peers and kindling the fire in rising generations.
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