What do you believe is important?
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1970s
Overall high school experience
8/10. [HIgh school name omitted] closed on me after my junior year! Loved the high school experience, but drastically changed my focus during my senior year.
Grades in high school
A's and B's.
Best subjects
Math, Performing Arts
Struggled with...
Science. Never could get an A for some reason. maybe because my dad is a scientist.
Favorite extracurricular
Sports / Recreation
Life since high school
“[My biggest regret is] posing. Saying that everything was all right, but it wasn’t. It is beneficial to be transparent and have people in whom you can confide your deepest fears. ”
Attended college / university at
UC Berkeley.
Majored in
Started as a Chemical Engineering major, but quickly saw the light. Finished with a B.A. in Math For Teachers, one of the last 5 people to do so (the major became defunct right after I graduated).
Post-graduate education or training
M.A. in Education and Ryan Single Subject Teaching Credential, Stanford M.A. in Education Administration, Santa Clara
Places lived in US
California
Current occupations / past occupations
High School Teacher and Academic counselor and coach and....
Industries I've worked in
- Educational Services
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yep. But there's nothing like experience.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
After college, no. For a short while, I thought about becoming a pastor, however.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
making a difference in other people's lives without requiring credit (even though credit may be due).
My definition of success has not changed over time.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Being married for 26 years and raising children who are independent. What I learned was how to trust more and communicate why I was doing what I was doing. (Empathy makes a huge difference.)
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
Posing. Saying that everything was all right, but it wasn't. It is beneficial to be transparent and have people in whom you can confide your deepest fears.
An unexpected event that changed my life and how it impacted me
I had just broken up with my girlfriend of 5.5 years. this was painful because I really wanted to get married, yet I eventually conceded to myself that the difference in beliefs were going to be a dealbreaker. Only 0.5 years later, she announces she's getting married. This drove home this point: it's not that she didn't want to get married; she just didn't want to get married to me.
To get her out of my mind for good, I ended up inviting her over to my place and proposing to her AND HAVING HER SAY NO. Pretty pathetic, eh? I even bought a ring for the occasion. It was the only way I could think of to let go of any possibility of getting together with her again.
I do not recommend this method of catharsis. but it's what I felt I had to do.
The impact was quite freeing, actually. I had plenty of time to reflect upon the previous 6 years, and I came to several conclusions. I got back to my beliefs, began to understand faith decisions I made when I was a kid, and really became a follower of Jesus Christ. I understood how selfish I had been, and how poor my self-esteem was. With lots of intentional actions and thoughts, and lots of loving people around me who accepted me for who I was, I'm loving life!
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
Rick's Rather Rich
