I grew up surrounded by books. Reading has always been a central part of my life, and from the age of 4 I read everything I could get my hands on. Some of my earliest memories are of going to the public library, pulling my rolling suitcase because I couldn’t carry all of the books that I wanted to take home. To this day, my family never makes a library trip without bringing several large grocery bags. My experiences with...

For the past four years, I have been a member of the Sea Scouts, a coed branch of the Boy Scouts of America focused on sailing and seamanship. My Ship (our units are called "Ships" rather than "Troops") is especially interested in the competitive side of sailing, and we have raced in everything from local, Tampa Bay competitions to the J/22 World Championship, an international regatta. We also schedule sailing trips throughout the year, usually several weekend cruises and a...