I think that the older I’ve gotten the more I see [God’s influence]. I think I see it more through my teaching, through my students, and through going through hard times and coming out on the other end of things. I think that I’m more sure than ever that God has a plan, and that when you stick to the plan, at the end of the day, a lot of things fall away, and what’s important is your core, and that’s what’s there.

I would travel more, I think. I would see more of the world. I had kids when I was very young, and not that I would trade that for the world… I could go back and do a million things better with them, probably, but I think I would have spent more time before I started a family getting to know myself and traveling because I love to travel, and it just doesn’t happen a whole lot now in my life.

You learn more from failing. I’ve learned more from the things I’ve done poorly in life, and how else do you know not to do them again? That’s the important part, is learning not to repeat the things that you failed in.

I think differently toward students now because of my kids, because they’re so different. My home ideal was such a different range of personalities and stuff, so I think that’s probably made me a better teacher overall because I see kids for who they are, beyond labels or whatever, and into their interests.

Being a biology teacher, I should be able to answer what the meaning of life is, right? Survive and reproduce. Survival of the fittest. I think that’s up to everybody’s own interpretation, to be honest. I think you have to find your own meaning, and find what’s meaningful to you, and so some people might find that through their work, some people might find that through money, and some people might find it through relationships. If I had to answer it for me, I would say it’s definitely about relationships and people, making connections with people.

I think that you should always strive to be a better person every day. I think that every day, try to do something meaningful and get better at it all the time.

I think now my sister, probably, is one of my biggest [inspirations]. She is super successful, she’s like one of the top executives at GE, but is also just one of the most well-grounded people that I know. We were not at all alike when we were young, and now, we’re scarily alike in our habits, in our mannerisms, and stuff like that. I think she’s just a very good role model.

My pet peeve, I would say, is laziness, and I guess that’s not really what I mean. Maybe complacency is a better word for it, and I could even say ignorance. I believe in everybody’s right to their own opinions and their own ideas, and I actually celebrate that difference. I think it’s important, as long as people have an intelligent argument. I get very annoyed when people are very short-sighted and ignorant. I can have an intelligent conversation or difference of opinion with anybody about anything and I’m okay with that, but it’s when people don’t see the whole picture [that annoys me].