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What activity or project have you tackled that has been the most challenging and rewarding?
This is a tough one to pick just one thing, but I think I would have to say my experience with a debate team while I was living in Florida last year.
How did you get involved with that project?
It started off with signing up for a class I thought sounded interesting, and turned into my most engaging and enjoyable activity last year. I went to over ten full-day tournaments in three different events — Student Congress, Public Forum, and Lincoln Douglass. By about the fourth tournament I decided to stick with Lincoln Douglass, a morality and value debate, and spent a good amount of nights and weekends writing cases and doing research for tournaments.
What makes it rewarding?
The payoff of all this was when I qualified for the national tournament and went to Omaha, Nebraska, with my coach and best friend Alex Bravo, a third year debater who was mentoring me. I ended up placing in the top 16 in the nation and it was an absolutely incredible experience. I learned so much and met so many great people. I'm looking into pursuing the creation of a team in Victor next year.
Who has most inspired you to be the person you are today?
My inspiration stems from so many different places. But at the base of it all, I would have to say, is my parents. They encourage and enable me to pursue the things I'm passionate about, and that provides a tremendous amount of inspiration.
How do you balance all your time commitments?
Time is the one thing I think everyone feels they don't have enough of. I try to periodically take stock of the things in my life to make sure that there is still time for the things I love. But on a day to day basis, I use a small agenda that fits in my pocket to keep track of school things. Once I know I'll have time to finish all my school work, I work in the most important things first and make sure those get done. Constantly evaluating what I have to do and when it has to be done keeps me on track.
What do you could choose any career in the world, what would you be?
I've also wanted to be a software engineer. I would love to someday start my own company doing something with computers, but in the mean time I think a job at Google or Facebook would be incredibly fun and rewarding.
What’s on your iPod? My music taste varies by week, but at the core I like lyrical music and I draw a lot of inspiration from it. Recently I've been listening to a lot of Howie Day, Train, Lifehouse, Mat Kearney, Matt Nathanson, The Script, and other bands like those.
What activity or project have you tackled that has been the most challenging and rewarding?
This is a tough one to pick just one thing, but I think I would have to say my experience with a debate team while I was living in Florida last year.
How did you get involved with that project?
It started off with signing up for a class I thought sounded interesting, and turned into my most engaging and enjoyable activity last year. I went to over ten full-day tournaments in three different events — Student Congress, Public Forum, and Lincoln Douglass. By about the fourth tournament I decided to stick with Lincoln Douglass, a morality and value debate, and spent a good amount of nights and weekends writing cases and doing research for tournaments.
What makes it rewarding?
The payoff of all this was when I qualified for the national tournament and went to Omaha, Nebraska, with my coach and best friend Alex Bravo, a third year debater who was mentoring me. I ended up placing in the top 16 in the nation and it was an absolutely incredible experience. I learned so much and met so many great people. I'm looking into pursuing the creation of a team in Victor next year.
Who has most inspired you to be the person you are today?
My inspiration stems from so many different places. But at the base of it all, I would have to say, is my parents. They encourage and enable me to pursue the things I'm passionate about, and that provides a tremendous amount of inspiration.
How do you balance all your time commitments?
Time is the one thing I think everyone feels they don't have enough of. I try to periodically take stock of the things in my life to make sure that there is still time for the things I love. But on a day to day basis, I use a small agenda that fits in my pocket to keep track of school things. Once I know I'll have time to finish all my school work, I work in the most important things first and make sure those get done. Constantly evaluating what I have to do and when it has to be done keeps me on track.
What do you could choose any career in the world, what would you be?
I've also wanted to be a software engineer. I would love to someday start my own company doing something with computers, but in the mean time I think a job at Google or Facebook would be incredibly fun and rewarding.
What’s on your iPod? My music taste varies by week, but at the core I like lyrical music and I draw a lot of inspiration from it. Recently I've been listening to a lot of Howie Day, Train, Lifehouse, Mat Kearney, Matt Nathanson, The Script, and other bands like those.
What do you do for fun?
In the winter, I love to go snowboarding and I try to make it to Bristol at least once a week. I'm also on the FIRST robotics team, which even though it’s a lot of work, is a ton of fun. In the summer I like to go down to Canandaigua Lake and go wakeboarding. When I have time, I work on computer software or websites and I love learning through those experiences. Finally, I absolutely always make time for TV. Without that time to just zone out and relax, the stress would probably get to me.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I think if I had to choose right now, I would go to Switzerland.
What’s your favorite food?
I could probably subsist on French fries and other fried potatoes.
What's your best advice for other students your age?
Find the things you love to do and make time for them, don't get to wrapped up in the stress of being a teenager. It may seem like you'll fall behind, but taking time to do the things you like to do will help you out a ton. For one, it relaxes you, which makes you more productive than if you’re an irritable stress ball. Also, succeeding at things your enjoy boosts your confidence and inspires you to work hard in other areas.
