Live a Life of Meaning
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
2000s
Overall high school experience
9/10
Grades in high school
Mostly A's
Favorite subjects
English, History / Social Studies, Math, Physical Education, Science
Favorite extracurricular
Sports / Recreation
Life since high school
“To me, being successful means...
Finding out what fulfills you over the long term and then persevering through the obstacles and challenges that will present themselves to you. I say “over the long term” because no matter how much you love something, there will be days, weeks that are challenging.”
Attended college / university at
UCLA
Majored in
Mechanical Engineering
Post-graduate education or training
School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, KS
Places lived in US
California, District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), Georgia, Kansas, Tennessee, Virginia
Places lived outside the US
Italy
Current occupations / past occupations
US Army Officer
Industries I've worked in
- Public Administration (e.g. Government, Police, Judicial, etc.)
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
In my line of work, the important intellectual foundation is an inquisitive mind, critical thinking, and creative problem solving. High school for me was an excellent base education, not because of the curriculum, but because of the teachers I had.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
Not significantly
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Finding out what fulfills you over the long term and then persevering through the obstacles and challenges that will present themselves to you. I say "over the long term" because no matter how much you love something, there will be days, weeks that are challenging.
My definition of success has changed over time.
I thought success was a position, an award, an accolade or some other quantifiable thing. Now, I believe that kind of success also has a large element of luck as well. So therein lies the question, is a success that depends on luck really success at all? I'd argue not. Success is tied to your motivations, desires, effort, work, and resiliency. Therefore, success is more about finding a passion and driving forward through obstacles.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Finding a work-life balance with my family. It is not easy and requires constant attention and adjustment. All I know is that sooner or later, I won't have my job and all my accomplishments will mean mostly nothing...except family. Family will always be there, so I work every day to keep it strong.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
I've made so many huge mistakes it is hard to differentiate. I partied too hard in college and let my grades suffer. Now, I think I could have had as much fun, but still been responsible.
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