I am the youngest in a family of five. My brother Nick, the eldest sibling, is a computer scientist currently employed at Amazon in Seattle, WA. Our middle sister, Marissa, is a Chemist at Estee Lauder. My parents are Chuck and Cathy. I also have a girlfriend, Brooke, whose been with me since high school. She also attended SBU for her master’s in teaching for biology and chemistry and now works for Great Neck School District. Each of them are unique in their own ways, but they all inspire me to do my best each and every day.

During the rare occurrence in which I have free time, I have several hobbies to keep me occupied. I’ll be the first to admit that they may seem a little strange or quirky, but nonetheless I truly enjoy them. One of my favorite’s blacksmithing. My dad and I put together a forge in my backyard and, recently, I was lucky enough to find an anvil (I used a piece of railroad track for quite a while, at first). I’ve made a few cool pieces ranging from tongs to hooks to blades. Although I’m not even close to mastering the skill, I’ve grown a huge appreciation for the amount of work put into hand-forged items.

 

 

Another hobby I enjoy, when the season is right, is gardening. Several years ago I built a small garden on the side of my house. The first time I planted seeds, I was absolutely astonished by how many vegetables a single plant could yield. I’ve grown a variety of plans these past few years including tomatoes, corn, eggplant, beets, carrots, melons, and pumpkins. It’s a lot more work than you’d think to maintain such a small space, but it’s highly rewarding to eat your own home-grown vegetables.

The most-recent hobby I have gotten into, after having turned 21, of course, is homebrewing. I want to preface this by saying that I enjoy having a beer but, to me, its about way more than an alcoholic beverage. It’s about the fusion of science and art which draws me to the hobby. You can reach all the numbers exactly, but what truly makes a great product is the aspect of creativity. I typically make my own recipes by borrowing ideas from others and putting a unique twist on them – like my blackberry sour or Honey Nut Cheerios stout.