I ask students every semester to write a student profile. There is a section for their “background” which lets me get to know them a little better. As I would never ask students to do something I would not do myself, below is my background! There are so many different life events that needed to be left out or we do not have the time and space for; what is presented is that part of me that I want to display to you so you can get a general sense of who I am.
The Short Version – Taken from Student Profile Example BRH
I grew up in the small town of Danville, KY, where – now – Trump flags are proudly flown by many individuals. I grew up in a traditional Christian church where we had “that one gay couple.” During undergrad at the University of Kentucky, I found rock climbing, a variety of different perspectives in the world, and a newfound sense of identity. Moving to Tucson, AZ for graduate school, I could start fresh on who I was, and redefine myself. I no longer wanted to be a medical doctor but teach engineering instead. I still love rock climbing, will always love learning new topics, and hope to spread kindness in the world.
The Longer Version
Below is the longer version of my life. The story is designed to give you more insight as to who I am as a person. Everyone has their own story. I hope you can find some commonality in my story and point(s) of relation. If you’re willing, I’m happy to hear your story as well!
K-12: Origin
Getting dropped, in almost any scenario or context, sucks. For this particular scenario, I was on a 30-mile training bike ride in preparation for the upcoming summer triathlon season during my junior year of high school. I was extremely competitive and psyched to be training, but also exhausted from burning the candle at both ends. The Kentucky heat and humidity in May was unrelenting. If you looked at me, it would have looked like I jumped in a pool and starting biking, only I was about 15 miles away from “civilization” in the middle of nowhere and no relaxing pool in sight. I slowed to a stop as the mini group of “A” bikers within our local community pedaled onwards. I gritted myself for the lonely bike ride back. Flash forward 2 hours later, an extra 20 miles from a wrong turn, and almost getting bitten from a local’s dog, and I rolled into home exhausted.
Growing up in small-town Kentucky, I was surrounded by your stereotypical assortment of individuals. [culture and environment]
[Relationship with Stephanie]
[Relationship with Dick Burchett]
[Motivation and expectations for undergrad and the the future]
Undergrad: Direction
[finding climbing]
[finding community]
[shifting lift goals]
[finding engineering]
Grad School: Solidification
[reflection on year between undergrad and grad school working as a lab monkey]
[to research or not to research?]
[character development]
[new directions in life]
UofA Faculty: Growth
[current teaching philosophy]
[change is always happening]
[humbling experiences]
Looking Towards the Future
As of 2024, looking forward to:
[ENGR Exp, teaching English in Korea, tiny house, affording a full sized house?, financial independence, climbing, work-life balance, time with family, new hobbies/skills/relationships]