About Me

Stories have been an integral part of my life since before I could remember. When I was a toddler, I would go to bed inundated with stories about Disney protagonists and Aesop’s animals. Later in life, the stories turned into Greek myths and young adult dystopias. Later still, the stories turned into histories, of my parents’ struggles in the Soviet Union, or of my ancestors’ struggles with Judaism and religious persecution. All the perspectives I have on life, my personality, my morality, and my relationships with others, are merely the culmination of stories, and yet create a story uniquely my own.

A vital piece of my personal story is my struggle with bilateral clubfoot. A condition I got from my grandfather, clubfoot twisted my feet when I was born, to the point where every step felt like a marathon. I couldn’t play sports with my friends or run to my parents after school without extreme pain and stiffness. It was only after a decade of visits to the doctor, surgery, and physical therapy, that I was finally cured of this condition. It’s during that decade where my passion for stories really developed. Because it was so hard to better myself physically, I tasked myself with bettering myself mentally. From bringing encyclopedias to kindergarten to bringing Herodotus’ Histories to homecoming, reading stories has always been my main method of entertainment. Whether it be the escapism involved in reading about a new world, or the character connections that reflect societal and cultural trends, or just the really pretty pictures, every story adds to my life in an indescribable way.

Reading so many stories keeps me constantly looking for ways to add to my personal story. I try to build on the story of me being a good person by being a good son and good friend. The specifics of what that entails are yet to be discovered, but so far I would like to think I’ve been a person others can be proud of. I try to build on the story of me being a good student through my connections with my peers and teachers. In school, I’m president of two clubs, and also invest a lot of time into fencing, band, and extra work that I believe deepens my well of knowledge. I try to build on the story of me being a beneficial force in my community. For over two years now I have been running the non-profit organization Bridge to Literacy, who provides over 100 students from all over the world access to free English Language education. Through these ventures, experiences, and relationships, I’m trying to establish my main narrative, the tale that will define me for decades to come. Regardless of what my future story is, or how the story ends, I am more than happy to relax, focus on the current act, and live this story out.