During kindergarten, my teacher was convinced that I was mentally handicapped, so she had me sent for testing. I scored in the top percentile. She was probably right.
During grade school I never talked much to anyone. In high school I joined the speech and debate team, and now I never shut up.
Until I entered Rice in the fall of 1996, I never worked very hard on anything directly related to a formal academic class in my primary educational institution. For this reason, I devoted the majority of my time in high school to two non-scientific loves -- forensics (competitive speech) and music. In short, I did work very hard in high school, but I focused my energies upon being a top competitor in extemporaneous speaking, a jazz pianist, a concert percussionist, and the section leader of a marching drum line.
When I got to college, I rediscovered my interest in and aptitude for science which had lingered in the background throughout my life. I figured that I may as well major in something that I was good at, and since I received the top grade in my first physics class, I decided to check out physics.
During spring
break last year, I was in Vegas looking for summer employment opportunities.
I knocked on a few doors at the University -- including Dr. John Farley's.
He gave me an application for the REU program. The rest is history.