What is your idea of perfect happiness?
My idea of perfect happiness is being with my closest friends and family (although not at the same time, as I’m rather introverted and prefer only one or two people in my company at a time). Also, I am generally the happiest when I am in the mountains or traveling.
What is your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is failure. Failure leads to disappointment, and disappointment leads to loneliness, which would detract from my perfect happiness.
What trait do you like least about yourself?
I have had more than one person tell me that I come across as arrogant, and I hate that. I don’t want to be arrogant; I want to be confident (and correct — always correct). Oh; have I mentioned that I’m a tad sarcastic?
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
I’m not going to lie; I turned to the magical power of the Internet for this question. Shockingly, there was a unanimous result of Elizabeth Tudor, which I first thought to be ludicrous (I’m not calling Elizabeth I ludicrous; I’m saying the result was … oh never mind). However, when I started thinking about it, I was able to draw a few parallels. Like QEI, I have had leadership thrust upon me from a young age, and I hope most would agree that I’ve handled these positions with poise and grace and have even managed to accomplish a thing or two, here and there. Also like young Elizabeth, I went through a radical change in my life that caused me to lose a few close friends, but c’est la vie! As Winston Churchill said, “It’s good to have enemies, because it means you’ve stood up for something at some point in time.” I just hope I don’t die of a shattered heart.
Who is someone you’ve met at Indiana State you’ll remember the rest of your life?
It would be impossible for me to narrow this list down to just one person, so I’ll give you my top 3: Patty Butwin, Della Thacker, and Dan and Cheri Bradley (they are a package deal, so they count as one person). These people have had a tremendous impact on my life and career, and I know that my experience at Indiana State would not have been nearly as enjoyable without each and everyone one of them. I look forward to developing these relationships for the rest of our lives.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be fluent in multiple languages. I am incredibly jealous of people who can fluently converse in more than one language, and it is a lifelong goal of mine to become fluent in a second language (and more, if time permits).
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement to date is the collective set of relationships I have developed with peers and mentors across the globe. From Terre Haute to Indianapolis to Virginia to Florida to Florence, Italy, I have established a network that spans many, many miles, and this is one of the aspects of my life that I value most. I know that I can call on these friends and mentors at any time of day, and they will be able to give me the best life advice available.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I would hope that, by the time I die, I will have lived my life well enough that whoever is forcing me to do it again would allow me the opportunity to do it from a different perspective. As such, it is important to note that I have always been fascinated by the way animals live. I think it would be boring to be a domestic animal, though, so I hope I would come back as something wild, like a grizzly bear or a snowy owl … or an otter.
What do people notice first about you?
This really depends on who you ask. My supervisors generally notice that I’m incredibly driven. My peers generally notice that I have an answer for everything (even if it’s incorrect). People on the street tend to notice how wildly blue my eyes are.
Thinking about Sycamore pride, what does BLUE mean to you?
To many people, blue is just a color. To some, blue is a representation of the sky or water. To me, Blue is a way of life. To me, Blue is steeped in tradition and legacy. To me, Blue is family. I’m confident in saying that many of the connections I’ve made because of Blue will last a lifetime. No matter where I go or where I end up, I will always carry Blue with me.
