When I first started college after serving four years in the active duty military, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do as a career. I just knew that it would be important for me to show employers that I'm determined to continue my education. However, after being in school and having worked for a couple of companies since the end of my enlistment, my eyes are open to all of these possibilities. In recent years, the roles of a data scientist, college professor, and psychiatrist have been on my mind. Data science is something relatively new to my awareness, within the past two years. I found that data science is something that I can be good at and I love its investigative and exploratory nature. This is important to me because to reach fulfillment, I need to both be capable and have an interest in it. Not only that but to take a bunch of raw data and transform it into something useful for a company or myself to make big decisions is a very good feeling. I see every data set as a story and I think being the person to be able to tell it is fulfilling. My idea of becoming a college professor, focused on philosophy or computer science, has been with me for the majority of my life. It's fulfilling for me to be able to teach other people. It doesn't come from a place of wanting control or feeling like the smartest person in the room. Teaching others brings me much satisfaction because it feels like I had a positive impact on somebody. I've had great professors and bad ones and the good ones are ones I won't forget. Being a professor would also be fulfilling to me as it comes with a breadth of knowledge to consume to do it. It's also not a stagnant job in my eyes because one must stay current, understand the sentiment of the students, and ultimately perfect the craft, which may be a career-long journey. Lastly, I'm exploring the idea of becoming a psychiatrist. It would be fulfilling to me to be able to help someone improve the quality of their life by being able to help organize their thoughts, drive real solutions, prescribe medication, and more. Like being a professor, it's a field that is constantly evolving, building off of older literature and integrated new data. I'm very interested in the human mind and how it works, how experience varies between individuals, and how we can try to build the best life with the tools we have available. While I'm currently focused on data science, I'll hold onto the idea of becoming a professor or psychiatrist as a potential future endeavor. I plan to continue my education throughout life and always strive for what I believe to be the best life for myself and others.

The thing about college that excited me the most is the opportunity to receive education from professionals. I also recognize this as a privilege and I take it very seriously. Maintaining a healthy mind, body, and soul while being a student, for me, is a challenge that requires daily conscience dedication. Not only am I a student, but I am a father and a full-time employee. I identify this challenge as an opportunity that also excites me about college. As a 30-year-old adult learner, I have come to understand just how important maintaining a healthy mind, body, and soul is for overall quality of life. When I was of traditional college student age, between the ages of 18-23 years old, my body was more efficient at metabolizing food, was never out of shape, and my soul was never disturbed by any trauma that life brings. Things for me are not like that now. I have seen first-hand just how easy it is to let all of that slip away without careful attention. Last year, I made my first doctor visit since 2015 when I finished my enlistment in the United States Air Force, where I was told that I need to get my health together. The doctor told me that I have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome. Although it is not life-threatening, it was enough to convince me that I shouldn't just assume I'm in good health and that I should take ownership of it every day. It also exacerbated the underlying anxiety that I face daily. Since that doctor visit last year, I've implemented some changes in daily habits, diet, and mindfulness practice to address these issues. Being in the position I'm in as a father, student, and full-time employee, this has been no easy feat and I recognize this as a lifelong journey. It requires me to plan and schedule out my days in a way that is of service to not only myself, but my obligations such as family, work, and school. The changes that I've implemented include reading philosophical books, reducing time on social media, making more real-life human connections, intermittent fasting, tracking my macros, meditation, and daily exercise. In my opinion, these changes are what are going to have the most impact on my education journey through school as well as my everyday life in general. I believe we have so much to discover about ourselves and the world we live in when we live, striving every day for a healthy mind, body, and soul.

If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, I would have them read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. The book, Meditations, is a collection of Marcus Aurelius's private journal entries and it focuses heavily on self-improvement and morality. Being the most powerful man in the world at the time, Marcus was determined to make the most responsible use of his position and had an obligation to serve the people who followed him. It's a book about rationality, will, self-discipline, and the ideals of stoicism. While this book does not fit everyone's religious beliefs, it's a book that's very human. Life is suffering for many people, and while many people have remarkable lives, nobody is immune to tragedy. Every person will experience suffering of various levels and severity at some point in their life. This book can help open one's mind as to how to deal with those sufferings positively and in a way that is fruitful for others as well. I believe that we can't control everything in life. There is always the element of randomness and unpredictability. If we all could frame the way we deal with hardships as Marcus Aurelius writes, it would be inevitable the world would be a better place. When we can be more tolerant of others while being more strict on ourselves, we eliminate the need to point fingers. This self-accountability would not only make us more loving and respectful to ourselves, but to everyone else around us. We are not going to live forever. We are bound to receive bad news at some point, we can lose our jobs, we can get sent to war, and we can be faced with challenges beyond belief at any moment. I believe this book grants us a practical way to go against the grain with gratitude, empathy, and dignity. That might just be what the world really needs.

After being honorably discharged from the military in 2015, I found myself in a hard spot. While I was able to adjust to civilian life with a career and pursuing an education, I failed to maintain the discipline of a healthy lifestyle that I had in the military. I neglected my health until last year when I realized that I just don't feel good mentally and physically. I finally got in touch with a doctor to get a physical and bloodwork and found out that I have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, and a vitamin D deficiency. That was enough to wake me up to the idea of taking my health seriously. Once I had that long overdue doctor's visit, I've developed a diet that I maintain, a regular schedule for exercise, and I began reading more books and greatly reduced my time on social media. These were all things that I already knew I should be doing but would ignore. It took time for me to realize I was avoiding all of these things because I knew how hard it would be to get myself back on track. I used to be an athlete, running 5-7 miles daily just for training. That's not including the CrossFit, bike riding, and recreational sports/activities I would do in my free time. I tried to get in shape multiple times since my military service and it felt so discouraging every time. I wasn't even able to run a mile without stopping to walk, and since I smoked for a few years, my lungs felt like they were on fire. Now, I start my day at 4:00 am and read for one hour before getting ready for work. I fast until 12pm and have my first meal. When I get out of work at 2:30 pm, I go straight to the gym so I don't have an excuse for not working out when I get home. Once home, I drink a protein shake and sometimes go for a bike ride if the weather permits. In the evening, I prepare my food for the next day and eat some rolled oats with fruit. Since implementing these healthy lifestyle changes, I've seen positive results in my blood work, physical appearance, and mental health. As a 30-year-old father of a son into sports, I'm understanding how important it is for me to maintain this discipline not only for myself but for my son. A healthy lifestyle will give me the best opportunity to be the active father and role model I want to be. I believe sticking to a sustainable diet, exercise routine, and staying on top of mental health is a lifelong journey and I couldn't be happier I finally made real steps towards that.