Who You Are Matters

Where do I come from?

I was born and raised in Newport Beach, California, where I lived for the first eighteen years of my life. Newport is a coastal city located in Orange County, about a one hour drive south of Los Angeles and USC. It's known for its beautiful beaches, world-class surf spots, and one-of-a-kind harbor. To me, it is one of the most idyllic places in the world, and I feel fortunate to have grown up there.

Where am I going and how will I get there?

To put it simply, I love sports. To follow my interests, I decided to come to USC to study communication with the intention of pursuing a career in sports media production. My hope is that my studies at USC, combined with internships in the sports industry, will help me land a full-time job after graduating. This led me to work for the school's student-run newspaper, the Daily Trojan, as a beat writer, columnist, and assistant editor for the sports section. I also intend to work in the Annenberg Media Center as much as possible when we are able to return to campus.

How am I like my parents?

My dad worked for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1982-2019, so when I say that "I love sports", I never really had a choice in the matter. It's not a burden, however. In fact, my dad's greatest gift to me was his passion. As a young kid, this was reinforced when I discovered that I got some cool points from other kids whenever they found out that he worked for the same organization as Kobe Bryant.

My mom is a landscape architect with a great eye and talent for all things design-related. And it's not just me who's saying that. She has run a successful landscape design business for over a decade, all from word-of-mouth advertising. It may be arrogant to admit, but I like to think that I inherited some of her intelligence, creativity, and leadership skills.

How am I unlike my parents?

My dad is a creature of habit and I seek adventure more than he does. My mom is a charitable laugher. Along with laughing often, she laughs loudly. She claims that her laugh once set off a car alarm as it echoed around a parking structure. Whether that's true or not is beside the point, however. The point is that she is very quick to laugh, while I am more reserved in this department.

How have I developed my own expectations for myself?

For most of my life, my own expectations for myself were developed in relation to my older brother, Sam. He is only two years older, so I had the advantage of seeing him go through the various stages of life before experiencing them myself. 

He set a great example that I felt I had to measure up to. He was a valedictorian, so I had to be one. He was a good athlete, so I had to be one. He had great friends and was kind enough to include me socially, so I had to find great friends who could keep up with the older guys.

Since graduating high school, however, our paths have diverged enough that I can no longer use his example to set expectations for myself. Now, I hold myself to a simple standard: work hard, be kind, follow my passions, and have fun.

Who, other than a relative, serves as a role model for me?

I have actually already mentioned the person who serves as my biggest role model in this blog. Kobe Bryant was my childhood idol and his life continues to inspire me. He set two examples in particular which I hope to emulate in my own life. He had a legendary work ethic which helped him achieve great success and found every avenue to "pay it forward". 

Whether it was promoting women's sports, teaching kids valuable life lessons through his books, putting his knowledge of the game of basketball on full display, or creating short films about following one's passion, he found ways to help others. It is important to me that I find ways to help others and pay it forward in my own life.

What wild animal do I feel a special connection with?

I feel a special connection with sea otters. They are loving, playful, and most at home in, on, or near the ocean. I identify with these traits and I look for them in others.

A significant childhood encounter with a tree or plant

As a kid, my next-door neighbor had a massive tree in his front yard. It was one of those trees whose branches twist and turn seemingly without reason - perfect for climbing. I spent many hours up in that tree seeing how high I could get with reckless abandon before slowly and carefully descending to safety. It's the same tree under which I learned that the girl I had a crush on also had a crush on me. That was a big day for my eleven-year-old self, apparently so much so that it has stuck with me for over ten years.

It ended up being a short-lived romance, but I don't blame the tree.

Sun Sign: Virgo

Moon Sign: Virgo

Rising: Sagittarius