Grateful [high school] Alum
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1970s
Overall high school experience
9/10. [High school name omitted] was a special place. We weren't necessarily innocent. But we were mostly considerate, kind, and fun-living. Great teachers. Many good memories.
Grades in high school
B's and C's
Favorite subjects
Performing Arts, Foreign Language, History / Social Studies, English
Struggled with...
Science. Looking back, I was just a humanities type of person.
Favorite extracurricular
Performance Art
Life since high school
“I care less about professional “success” and now measure personal success by how much time I have to read, hangout with family and friends, travel, and volunteer.”
Attended college / university at
UCSD
Post-graduate education or training
Masters, then PhD.
Places lived in US
Minnesota
Places lived outside the US
NL and DE
Current occupations / past occupations
College professor. Pastor. Delivery truck driver. Beer company representative. Spouse. Parent. Citizen. Pilgrim.
Industries I've worked in
Church. Higher Ed.
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Some of what I learned as an undergrad still comes up in my present work. But I did not go into the field that my B.A. work was to prepare me for.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
Yes. The "first act" was pastor. The second act: professor. Looks like the third act might be author.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Finding meaning and fulfillment in your relationships, your work, and your contributions to the common good.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I care less about professional "success" and now measure personal success by how much time I have to read, hangout with family and friends, travel, and volunteer.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Professional? Getting a PhD while holding down a well-paying job. I learned that all painful processes come to an end, sleep deprivation causes depression, and it's a good thing having no student loans due upon completion of your terminal degree. Personal? 25 years of happy marriage, parenthood, and loving home. These are not so much accomplishments as they are blessings of a gracious God.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
I wish I'd worked harder in high school. Believe it or not, I didn't learn until college that coming to class and doing your homework pays off!
An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
I met the love of my life. This happened well after I thought such a thing could happen to me. The result was humbling--I had to look at myself, admit a significant character defect or two, confess my sin, ask for forgiveness, decide to trust, and take the plunge. All this -- and a quarter century of grand adventure -- would not have been possible had I not fallen so hard for the woman I met an, within a year, married.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
Mitchell Park
