Strolled into an elementary school the other day expecting polite kids who wanted homework help. Found them—in the other corner. In my corner? A hollering mob uninterested in opening any bookbags.

But the mob liked my riding gear—and had a reading assignment on the history of motorcycles. After trying my helmet on their little heads and being promised riding tales, these munchkins were plugging away at homework and swapping life stories with me to boot. Every week I'd go back and ask for them, greeting gap-toothed smiles and grimaces alike.

That's what I like about life: it throws the unexpected your way and then lets you make the unexpected enjoyable.

I volunteer because I value doing, write because I relish thinking, and laugh because I love living. Exercise, meditation, cooking, and tech all play a role in my life, too, but the best part is clicking with other open-minded people who enjoy challenges.

Consulting writer at a tech-education startup. After writing for media and nonprofits the last few years (race and gender equity, religious tolerance, healthcare), I realized we need to better understand how people think before we can change what they think. I'm driven by a desire to figure that out, so the startup is a great way to see how students grasp concepts while staying flexible.

Also reading psychology, taking Spanish classes, and teaching English to adult immigrants when I'm not helping kids with dance/improv/chess/homework.

Enjoying meditative moments on motorcycles, such as leaning into a turn at a steep angle that makes a bridge's arc loom like a steel arm, stretching into the night sky and scooping the stars.

Upending expectations, framing ideas and finding connections between them, making people laugh without any canned jokes, putting people at ease, recognizing the importance of humility and the silliness of false modesty.

"I can't tell where you're from..." That's okay - a little mystery never killed anyone.

Reading:
Mindset (awesome book for learning), Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations", Predictable Irrationality, Farenheit 451, Orwell's essays, Poe's and Hawthorne's short stories, Emily Dickinson's poetry

Music:
Trance, ambient, and melodic metalcore.

Armin Van Buuren, Daft Punk, Bury Tomorrow, Killswitch Engage

My other favorite genre of music is whatever Cookie Monster is down with, because...come on: Cookie Monster.

Movies:
Last of the Mohicans, Michael Collins, Collateral, The Mission, Star Trek (First Contact and the reboot), Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Motorcycle Diaries, Ghostbusters

TV:
The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Star Trek: TNG, Psych

Food:
Italian, Mediterranean, Thai, brownies...more brownies.

Crisp fall air, great prose, an open road on two wheels amid a black night and gleaming lights, a warm smile, a passion for living, friends and family

How things and people connect, the awesome feeling of balance and drive, how to continue growing and learning, why automated checkout counters have the most passive-aggressive voice ever

At a museum, park, or quiet restaurant with a close friend or two, reading a book on my roof, or sleeping in early for a dawn ride on the open road.

This is how my name is originally spelled and pronounced. Hey, it's only four "letters"!

Also, a second grader named Destiny taught me how to chop parsley this year and I proudly count it among the coolest moments in my life.

-You're open-minded, warm-hearted, and enjoy discovery

- "Kind and confident" appeals to you (not big on constant snark/cynicism/sarcasm)

-You might enjoy warmer weather on two wheels

-You love brownies or chocolate