Meet Mystery Guest #7

Today's guest showed early on that s/he could not be taken by storm. It was tornado season and strong winds broke through the windows causing the crib to swing and then flip over (protecting our guest it turns out). Despite the commotion, our guest stayed sound asleep.

As a child, our guest's brother used to call him/her …. no, that was just too mean.

Our guest wanted to grow up to be a science teacher. Playing with the neighbor via Walkie-Talkie was a favorite pastime. An unusual aptitude showed itself in our guest's knowledge of "everything" concerning ants and bees. Formative influences included the D.A.R.E. program and McGruff the Crime Dog. Favorite subject in school was science and favorite food was a mixture of pickles and ketchup.

As a teen, our guest was really studious and voted "most likely to succeed." S/he still wanted to be a teacher and was Yearbook photographer and active on the Math Team, Student Council, Quiz Bowl, International Club (working with the exchange students), and School Board Student Liaison. Friends included international students, athletes, band members, choir members, theater people, and—especially during study hall—special education students. S/he was friend to all. Formative influences included all the great teachers who had been teaching since the school first opened back in the 1960s (and retired the year of our guest's graduation). Travel during high school included a trip to Spain as part of the Spanish class, which was the first time our guest left the country and traveled with friends. A favorite hangout was Perkins—both day and night. Our guest's first job was a customer service representative (aka cashier) at SuperAmerica. And, says our guest, "I was really good at it, too."

In college, our guest was a pre-med student studying biology and Spanish. One memorable volunteer experience involved cooking for kids at a local nursery, evacuating them due to a fire alarm (not caused by the cooking, we're told), and then feeding them. Adventures included chartering a bus to get students from Macalester, St. Kate's, St. Thomas, Hamline, and Augsburg to ....no, that might tell you too much.

By age 18 our guest was proficient in four languages and learning one more.

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Next week: our mystery guest (and guesses) revealed.

Be a mystery guest! Simply download this questionnaire, and answer some short questions (no need to write an article).

Send guesses, completed questionnaires, and comments to: rds@umn.edu .

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