Moving 17 times, I do not consider myself from anywhere specific. I grew up in different areas throughout King County, Washington State and Southern California. Returning from a year and a half sabbatical, I am currently working towards completing my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. In addition, I am focusing on choosing my career path so I have an idea of what I am working towards upon graduation. I plan to graduate school with a clear career path by making my education my highest priority and utilizing the tools USC provides its students to help them explore career paths.
My parents are empaths,
and I am grateful to share that in common with them. In addition, both are
actors, a career path I will not be pursuing. My parents’ separation in 2004
led me to become more independent than my peers growing up. Thus, I developed
my own expectations for myself and held myself to a high standard throughout my
teen years and early adulthood.
Currently, I look towards
former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, for inspiration in living
a passionate and thoughtful life. His dedication towards staying humble,
excelling at his work, and living a moral life is extremely motivational to me.
Connecting with the
animal world, I feel a special connection towards otters. As a kid, I lived on Lake
Sammamish in Washington State. I remember waking up early to see the otters eating
crawfish on the shoreline. It always felt special to see them candid in their environment.
Also, I enjoy their playful nature.
The most significant childhood
encounter with a tree or plant came when I cut lavender bushes in my backyard as
a 5-year-old. I had two bunches of lavender in my hands and proudly showed my
parents who were watching the Discovery channel. Soon after, the narrator on
the television show began talking about how plants, trees, and fungi are all
living organisms. Baffled, I looked to my parents for confirmation. They explained
how it is in fact true that grass, trees, mushrooms, and plants, including the lavender
I just butchered, are all living. Immediately, I broke into tears. I could not
live with what I had done. At only five years old, I committed mass murder upon
a community of innocent lavender bushes. I cried for hours, the moral burden
wore on me for days, and now as an adult, this memory connects me with lavender
bushes forever.
My sun sign is 28 degrees
Cancer, my moon sign is 15 degrees Scorpio, and my rising sign is two degrees Scorpio.
Reading the descriptions of my signs, I find them very accurate.
Mason, I think hearing your story of moving around as a child, explaining how you grew to be more independent, and then being able to take a year off of school and come back to continue pursuing your dreams is very full circle and shows how you have matured, yet stayed true to who you are. I really enjoyed reading your first blog post!
ReplyDeleteMason, I think hearing your story of moving around as a child, explaining how you grew to be more independent, and then being able to take a year off of school and come back to continue pursuing your dreams is very full circle and shows how you have matured, yet stayed true to who you are. I really enjoyed reading your first blog post!-- My first comment came up as unknown I'm not sure why, so I am re-posting it.
ReplyDeleteHey Mason. I liked reading about your own personal growth within this blog. It's great to hear people who have had similar experiences to me. I too am a very independent person and define my own expectations for myself. This independence stemmed from some key childhood moments just like you! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Mason,
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine moving 17 times! I've moved a few times in my life and each time was pretty difficult already, so doing that 17 times seems insane to me. Props to you for being so adaptable.
Also, really appreciate the fact that you chose a UFC fighter as a role model, I feel like it's a world that's really misunderstood and actually has an incredible amount of depth and nuance to it.
-Leon
Thank you for the response Leon. Hah, and thank you for the props. Could not agree with you more about the UFC. I never really knew how to articulate that but you could not have said it any better.
DeleteHey Mason,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog post and I relate to your love of otters (both sea and river)! I've visited Monterey (which is known for their sea otters) many times a year since I was little and have seen them on multiple occasions. One time I remember clearly was in during summer 2019 when a friend and I went kayaking in a river near the Monterey Bay and saw a sea otter swimming right next to us. Honestly it was an experience I would never forget.
Bryan