The Classy Llama Team
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Kurt CEO
- Things I love
- Focus, soccer, tennis, writing, transparency, taking risks, productivity, the way the French language sounds.
- Things I hate
- Egocentrism, baseball, fear, greed, Monopoly
- Favorite Hangouts
- MSU Intermural Soccer Fields, Gillenwater Tennis Courts, Rendezvous Coffee House, Sinatra's Coffee Gallery
- Family
- Wife of six years and newborn son. Born and raised in Missouri. Massive extended family: 40 aunts and uncles; more than 120 first cousins; countless second cousins.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I am very good at creating attractive, achievable visions, but sometimes I assume we've already achieved the vision when it's just true in my head. It's called "living in a fantasy." Not very productive. I also have cluttered desktops, both physical and digital, which is very embarrassing.
- Favorite Quote
- "...We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful." -C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
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Erik COO
- Things I love
- Jesus Christ, technology, sports, learning, my family, being productive/efficient (some call me a Utilitarian), loving and being loved, laughing, building and creating
- Things I hate
- Incorrect grammar, poorly thought-out code, slow drivers, verbosity, bad user interfaces.
- My favorite hangouts
- The office, friends' houses, soccer field
- Family
- I am married to the love of my life, Amber. She's the most loving, creative, and compassionate person I know. I am blessed with a large family and loving parents who I greatly enjoy. Most people have never heard of my father's native country, the Faroe Islands.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I want to do a million things at one time, and do them all excellently.
- Favorite Quote
- "There is nothing to fear, but fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
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David CTO/Lead Engineer
- Things I love
- Solving technical challenges, hanging out with friends, bike riding, worshiping the Lord at Church on Sundays, reaching out and helping others, espresso, chocolate, and coffee (big time!!)
- Things I hate
- Applications with a bad user interface, and assumptions since they are usually not very accurate.
- My favorite hangouts
- House of a close friend, Church, Home with my family, or a picnic with friends.
- Family
- My family loves to eat healthy fresh produce grown from the home garden; we don't follow mainstream politicians, and we are close-knit in our everyday life.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I get bored easily if there are no big challenges to face.
- Favorite Quote
- “If I ever hesitate when you ask me a question, it's probably because I am flipping through the mental card catalog.” - R.c. Sproul Jr.
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Kyle Director of Business Development
- Things I love
- My family; the one true God; meaningful conversation (over a nice cold beer from a microbrewery); witty, non-cutting sarcasm; kindness; soccer/European football; business; benefitting people; good food; beauty; science.
- Things I hate
- Failing; poverty; evil; hours wandering through Wal-Mart trying to find what I’m looking for; corrupt, bloated government; mango chutney; being manipulated; anything that messes with my family; bad coffee (and people who don’t like coffee).
- My favorite hangouts
- Home with my family; friends’ and families’ houses; the mountains; the jungle.
- Family
- My Norwegian wife of 9 years -- Linn (+ baby in womb); my kids, Natalie and Jeremiah. My extended family is vast beyond counting and we are well-connected with them considering.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- Can be too blunt at delivering the ‘brutal’ realities; the normal array of human frailty; My battle with fear, especially of flying nerf darts in the office.
- Favorite Quote
- "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”
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Josh Director of Finance
- Things I love
- Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world; God's mercy; my family; accounting; accuracy; history; problem solving; gumbo and runzas (hints as to where I’ve lived); football; enjoying God’s creation while fishing for northern pike on my grandpa’s lake.
- Things I hate
- Historical revisionism; excessive government; evil.
- My favorite hangouts
- My home; the homes of friends and family; church.
- Family
- My beautiful and lovely wife of two years, who is perfect for me and truly a woman to be praised; our beautiful newborn daughter, who is a precious gift from God.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- Compared to the guys I work with, I know nothing about computers.
- Favorite Quote
- “The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.“ –John Jay, Founding Father and first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
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Jeff eCommerce Strategic Advisor
- Things I love
- Family. Believing. Growing. Solving problems. Adding value; personal and professional. Things that go fast!
- Things I hate
- Well...that's hard. I was brought up to not use the "hate" word. Let's talk about things I am impatient with. Indecisiveness, politics, unproductive energy, standing still.
- My favorite hangouts
- Home. Our house is where it all happens and is the center of our family. Water. We've been boating for over 20 years. Our boys grew up on the water and we get out every chance we have. Car shows and events (remember the point about loving things that go fast!). We have a hobby of collecting classic cars and there is no better place to meet people and relax than at a car cruise or show.
- Family
- That's what its all about!!! Sharon and I have been married for 34 wonderful years. We decided to start a family young so we can devote our energy to our children. And it has paid off. We are still young and have lots of years with our boys as they grow and have their own families. We have 3 sons; Anthony (teacher), Jeffrey (investor) and Michael (automotive service).
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- That's easy. There is always something new to be learned. My feeling is that if we areqs not learning new skills everyday then death is around the corner...and that is not an option.
- Favorite Quote
- “Is nice to be important … but … it is more important to be nice”.
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Amy Project Manager
- Things I love
- My husband, my family, my furry kid, sewing, baking, games, reading and flea marketing.
- Things I hate
- Injustice, intolerance, snap decisions, prejudice and celery.
- My favorite hangouts
- My house, flea markets and antiques stores, Patton Alley Pub, and anywhere I can spend time with my husband and/or family!
- Family
- I got to marry the most interesting person that I have ever met, the love of my life Cullen! We have one furry kid, our Yellow Lab, Bogey. I have 2 sisters and 2 sisters-in-law who continue to supply me with beautiful nieces and nephews (8 total and counting)! And I have 4 of the best brothers-in-law a girl could ask for.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I am human, therefore fundamentally flawed. However, Project Management is my passion and is the only career that I have ever cared to consistently work to achieve perfection.
- Favorite Quote
- “And I've had recurring nightmares, That I was loved for who I am, And missed the opportunity, To be a better (wo)man.” - Muse
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Carrie Project Manager
- Things I love
- My husband Chris, my daughter Coral and my son Lincoln. I tell them everyday. They are core to who I am.
- Things I hate
- Mushrooms and the word hate.
- My favorite hangouts
- Countries outside the US. I try to visit a new one each year. I also love to hang out at Scott Lake, Wamplers Lake, Lake Michigan... (well, you get the picture).
- Family
- My parents have a working farm in Kalamazoo, MI. I loved growing up there. There are currently 17 members of my immediate family on my side. I get this big family stuff.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I don't consider myself a good writer and I am a horrible speller. Although I find myself writing constantly.
- Favorite Quote
- "Everybody's got plans... until they get hit" - Mike Tyson
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Nick Solutions Architect
- Things I love
- God, my family, technology, good caffeinated beverages, well documented code, Christian metal, and video games
- Things I hate
- Unproductive laziness, daytime television, and poorly written code.
- My favorite hangouts
- Coffee shops, the garage, the range.
- Family
- Oldest of 3 kids. My wife Sarah and I have a son, Asher, and she has 3 other kids.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I get bored easily and tend to work myself out of a job with various scripts and programs.
- Favorite Quote
- There are far too many applicable quotes to pick just one!
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Rob Solutions Architect
- Things I love
- God, Family, my friends, my motorcycle, cooking
- Things I hate
- Apathy, politicians who steal my liberty, mosquitoes
- My favorite hangouts
- Springdale, Home, random trees
- Family
- I am incredibly blessed to have a wonderful family. I have 3 brothers and 4 sisters, who I love deeply, along with the most tremendous set of parents. I also have "adopted" family living in Arkansas that I love dearly, and am so blessed to know.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I'd rather be outdoors than stuck at a desk all day.
- Favorite Quote
- "A true philosophy may sometimes validate an experience of nature; an experience of nature cannot validate a philosophy." - C.S. Lewis
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Severin Account Manager
- Things I love
- A girl named Kaitlin. Fresh organic food. Collecting old musical instruments, and acting like I know how to play them all. Craft Breweries. Bike rides with my two best ear buds. Hiking and camping in the mountains. Stream Fishing for Smallies.
- Things I hate
- Politics. Judgmental characters. Bad drivers. Disease.
- My favorite hangouts
- Farmer's Gastro Pub. Large bodies of water. Anywhere with a great view.
- Family
- Mom and Dad, big Brother, 1 Great Grandma, Mama, Papa, 6 Aunts, 6 uncles, 27 cousins, Kaitlin's Family. All which whom I love.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I can be too hard on myself for not meeting expectations I have set. This is unproductive.
- Favorite Quote
- If we fail to nourish our souls, they wither; and without the soul, life ceases to have meaning. -M. Woodman
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Kristian Business Development Assistant
- Things I love
- God, family, friends, sports, music, my car!
- Things I hate
- Insecurity (thinking of my own here), pride (mine, as well as others'), lack of passion (once again... mine). And no, even though I hate a lot of the stuff about myself, I don't hate myself!
- My favorite hangouts
- Places where I can play sports! Nathan/Aaron/Shawlmer's house (LAN parties!). My parents' house.
- Family
- I have a very large family, that I love very much. So much so that I work with 5 of them!
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- Insecurity is probably the biggest reason why I'm not "perfect" for my job. I also stutter sometimes... so not so fun when on the phone!
- Favorite Quote
- Bilbo: "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
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Joey Creative Director
- Things I love
- Working late, not getting enough sleep, being swamped with work
- Things I hate
- Having any free time
- My favorite hangouts
- In Photoshop... somewhere between the tools and layers panels..... with guides on.
- Family
- Need to put that on my to-do list
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- Not perfect? ...next question please.
- Favorite Quote
- “Yes, I'm old, but I'm back in style!“ - Norbert Florendo
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Matt Information Architect
- Things I love
- My family, my two adoptive younger brothers, bow hunting, firearms, fishing, sweet tea and stargazing (together), long summer drives with the windows down, making others laugh, great conversation, any outdoor activity.
- Things I hate
- Olives, celery, ignorance, laziness, and inflexibility - though I definitely hate olives the most.
- My favorite hangouts
- Any of my treestands on a still fall evening, our family farm, on the tractor, anywhere that I can fish.
- Family
- I am incredibly blessed with a wonderful family. I'm the middle child of my parents' three children - one older brother (7.5 years difference), and a twin younger sister (by 19 minutes). My parents have been married for 30+ years and are a great example of commitment.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I'm not perfect for my job because I always want to jump in and help where I see that I could have a positive impact. When I have to focus and block out those opportunities to provide aid, I become very intense due to frustration.
- Favorite Quote
- "In order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to obtain." -Mark Twain
"Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish." -Albert Einstein
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Jeremy Lead Artist
- Things I love
- My wife, family, friends, creating things, brainstorming
- Things I hate
- Mornings, Country Music, Traffic and Coffee
- My favorite hangouts
- Tennis Courts (except when playing Kurt, he's too good), Coffee Houses (although I don't like coffee), Apple Stores
- Family
- Married to my beautiful wife, Sarah. Born and raised in Springfield, MO. My brother is my best friend, and I love my parents. I have a ton of aunts, uncles & cousins.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I have too many things that I want to do and accomplish, and sometimes my ventures conflict with each other. Bah!
- Favorite Quote
- “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.“ ~Albert Einstein
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Jonathan Lead Engineer
- Things I love
- Cars, Bikes, Friends, Blizzards, Skiing Trips, Swimming, Bridge Jumping, Programming, Doing anything with friends, Spending time with family, Eating
- Things I hate
- Laziness, Whininess, Complaining, Passiveness
- My favorite hangouts
- Potters House, IHOP, the Joust, Evangel campus
- Family
- I am married to my beautiful wife Miranda. I am the oldest of my parents' six children and I love my siblings and extended family.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I get distracted at times and start talking with my coworkers. I get passionate about our conversations.
- Favorite Quote
- "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men." Proverbs 22:29 (NKJV)
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Jeremy Young Software Engineer
- Things I love
- God, Liberty, my wife, and our two daughters. On a less serious note, multiplayer gaming, music, sleep, ice cream, thinking about everything, solving problems, and Firefly.
- Things I hate
- Oversized Government, "Reality" TV, Broadcast Media in general (I'm kinda an on-demand Internet kind of person), chaos, lack of destination, indifference to truth
- My favorite hangouts
- Wherever I am now, but home is usually even better
- Family
- I grew up with several great grandparents, all four grandparents, both parents, and a younger brother all living here in the Ozarks. After spending several years in Texas with my wife and having our two daughters, I brought them back to Springfield. There's nothing like having the support of family nearby. We celebrated our 11th anniversary this year and are still going strong.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- Often I get distracted by things that aren't the most important. I think about solutions to every problem I come across, even when it's not time to work on those things. I always strive for perfection, but sometimes that's just not a destination that should be arrived at.
- Favorite Quote
- "The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato
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Jordan Software Engineer
- Things I love
- My Savior, Jesus; My wife, Laura; My daughter, Ella; My morning coffee, and afternoon, and evening…; Playing music; Cooking; Bluegrass music
- Things I hate
- Selfishness; Spiders; My car
- My favorite hangouts
- My home; Pretty much any coffee house
- Family
- I grew up in Carthage, MO with my mom, dad, and brother. I am married to my wonderful wife, Laura, and we have an amazing daughter, Ella. We enjoy spending time together, going to church, hanging out with friends, and working in our garden.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- Sometimes I can be so detail oriented that my work becomes inefficient.
- Favorite Quote
- “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.“ Jeremiah 32:17
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Zach Software Engineer/Interface Developer
- Things I love
- Time with friends and family, playing music, food, routine, finding the perfect solution to a programming problem
- Things I hate
- Mowing my lawn, dealing with adult things like insurance and taxes, working with poorly written legacy code
- My favorite hangouts
- My house, my parents' house, and friends' houses. I'm too cheap to get out much, but it works because I think the company's way more important than the activity.
- Family
- I'm married to my lovely wife Izzey and we have three dogs. She has a cat and a horse, so I guess they're sort of like step-pets. I have one older brother and wonderful parents along with extended family, and pretty much all of them live in the Springfield area.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- If I really enjoy a project, I can spend too much time trying to make it perfect even after it meets the official expectations.
- Favorite Quote
- "I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." - Thomas Jefferson
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Chris Lead Engineer
- Things I love
- My wife, my baby girl, movies, video games, literature, web development
- Things I hate
- Celebrity worship, complaining
- My favorite hangouts
- Home, family’s homes, home, church, home
- Family
- My beautiful wife, Katie, who is an incredible mother to Charlotte, our spirited daughter. We are very close with, and spend most of our time with, my family: my parents, my brother, and my sister-in-law.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I want to do it from scratch, even if someone’s done the same thing before (and better). It’s reinventing the wheel.
- Favorite Quote
- “Are the gods not just?”
“Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were?”
- Till We Have Faces
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Dave Software Engineer
- Things I love
- Family, friends, Alex, my daughter/dog Luna, laughter, learning, gadgets, seeing how far I can coast on my bike, and a really good API.
- Things I hate
- Unnecessary stress, boring food.
- My favorite hangouts
- My mind, debug mode, my room, the electronics section, the Internet.
- Family
- 33 cousins, 12 aunts and uncles (Kurt wins). Everyone is old enough now to have full football games at family get togethers, and it is honestly some of the most fun I have all year.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I'm easily distracted by outside noise/commotion, and I analyze things to the point that they sometimes don't get done as fast as they could if I would just do them. A combination of energy drinks and robot music help out a lot.
- Favorite Quote
- "The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing." - Socrates
"There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things." - Phil Karlton
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Kevin Interface Developer
- Things I love
- Creativity, the outdoors, playing musical instruments, fixing things, building things, running, staying active in work & play
- Things I hate
- Manipulative media, when a piece of technology is more important than human interaction, injustice
- My favorite hangouts
- On a far away mountain summit (that's where I see God's work the best) and on the kitchen floor (that's where the best talks happen)
- Family
- My family is one of the smallest at Classy Llama - which is surprising, being one of four boys. I owe my musical and artistic ability to my dad and mom, respectively. I'm married to a lovely red-head who's always challenging me to become a better man - and I love her for it. My son, Ezekiel, was born April 2011, and he brings us great joy!
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I'm afraid my eyes will go bad for staring at my computer screen for hours at a time. I also prefer being active (not just my mind and fingers) outdoors to sitting all day indoors.
- Favorite Quote
- “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do.” -Mark Twain
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Joseph Interface Developer
- Things I love
- Animation, Movies in general and the way they're made, Concept Art (the visual building blocks behind movies, video games, and stuff like that), Reading, Writing, CCM/Praise and Worship music, Cooking, Volleyball, Ultimate, and Tea!
- Things I hate
- Tomatoes, Laziness, Complacency, Apathy (character flaws that I see in me...except for tomatoes, of course)
- My favorite hangouts
- The movies, Starbucks, Bookstores, Fields/Parks/Volleyball sand pits
- Family
- I'm the oldest of six children. My dad was in the Air Force, so...I'm from a lot of places. I was born in Germany and raised all across the US!
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I'm an artist...and a perfectionist. Here's what that means for my job as a front-end web developer: I'd much rather be drawing or designing things than I would coding said things; I can be so nit-picky about getting it just right that it can take longer than it should. Good news is that I'm a work-in-progress and that God is consistently refining His work in me! .
- Favorite Quote
- "He that teacheth himself hath a fool for his master." - Benjamin Franklin
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Megan Human Resources
- Things I love
- Coffee, reading, writing, singing loudly in my car, RedBox, chocolate, impromptu road trips, the color pink, the beach, hammocks, and making people laugh.
- Things I hate
- Not having coffee, onions, bad drivers (although some probably argue that I'm one of them), driving, shopping at Christmas time, the fact that Wal-Mart really DOES have the lowest prices, and people who bring me down.
- My favorite hangouts
- Patios in nice weather, coffee shops in cold weather, houses with cable, sushi bars, and any spot that gives me a quiet place to read or write.
- Family
- I have a stepsister who is my age, a stepbrother who is 3 years younger, and a sister who is 2 years younger. My mom and stepdad live in Carthage, MO and my dad and his fiancee live in Little Rock, AR. I am very close to my family and they get more fun as I get older. We are big fans of bonfires and cookouts; once every few months my mom gets us together to have lots of laughs and amazing talks.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I have a really bad memory, which is sort of important when you are keeping track of schedules and such. Luckily, someone invented Post-its and iCal to keep me on top of things!
- Favorite Quote
- "If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that is unacceptable." --Carrie Fisher
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Nathan Project Management Assistant
- Things I love
- Accents (particularly Irish), linguistics, hacky sack, people and their quirks, writing poetry, the etymology of names, love stories, playing games with friends… Oh, and zombie fiction.
- Things I hate
- Indecision, nonsense rules, Microsoft Windows, my own imperfection, grocery shopping, Chihuahuas.
- My favorite hangouts
- My brothers’ houses, home, parks/woods, dark alle… er… ignore that last one.
- Family
- I am blessed to be part of a big-ish family, and can’t wait to start my own. I am the youngest of five children, and I’ve always had at least one sibling actively watching out for me my whole life, and I’ve even managed not to fight too much with them. You could even go so far as to say I am friends with them!
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I am not a details person; once I have a basic grasp of an idea, I am ready to move onto the next, which, when combined with my bad memory, lets a lot of minute details slip through the cracks.
- Favorite Quote
- "There is no harm in being afraid. The only harm is in doing what Fear tells you. Fear is not your master! Laugh in his face and he will run away." - Mr. Vane, Lilith
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Shawn Systems Technician
- Things I love
- God, my family, sports, computers, gaming, creativity, traveling the world.
- Things I hate
- Eating unhealthy a lot, runny noses, copy cats.
- My favorite hangouts
- Love hangin' around the house, movie theaters, parks.
- Family
- I am the youngest of 4. I was born and raised in the jungles of Indonesia by my parents who are missionaries.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I have not taken courses for a lot of the things that go on around here, although I do catch on very quickly.
- Favorite Quote
- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -Philippians 4:13
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Wesley QA Technician
- Things I love
- My church, My family, Spanish, Classical music, Calvin and Hobbes, The Muppet Show, Driving slowly to irritate fast drivers, Chipotles, Creativity, All things Apple
- Things I hate
- Socialism, Political correctness, Squash, Lima beans, IE, Microsoft, Chick flicks, Elephant seals
- My favorite hangouts
- Libraries, Classy Llama (does that count?)
- Family
- I have a wonderful family; I am the oldest of four children. Two great parents, two terrific little brothers, and a lovely sister.
- Why am I not perfect for my job?
- I can be a slow learner at times, and I easily get bogged down in unimportant details.
- Favorite Quote
- “Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.” – William James
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