Personal Narrative: My Most Paid
I didn’t spend my academic career seeking accolades or awards so my list will be neither exhaustive nor distinguished. I did however manage to accomplish some things of which I’m proud. The accomplishment of which I’m most proud is the fact that I raised two well-behaved, disciplined and intelligent children. While my wife was working I stayed home and provided Michelle and Ian with structure and basic education. Michelle was accepted into a well-respected private school one year early and consistently scored in the 95th-99th percentile in all standardized test. This is I believe due to the strict regimen I provided in her formative years. I have no reason to believe Ian’s performance will be any different. I attended two retreats
sponsored by the Blue Mountain Center for Meditation. The first retreat was 2 weeks long and consisted of half a week preparation, one week observing a vow of silence, the another half week of recovery. The second retreat was conducted in the same format but with two weeks of silence preceded and followed by one week of preparation and recovery. These retreats were designed to hone our skills of meditation as taught by the centers founder, former Fulbright Scholar Eknath Easwaran. It is a common experience for one when observing silence and engaging in meditative exercise for extended periods to have the unconscious mind present them with uncomfortable truths and aspects of themselves which the conscious mind is not willing to face, I was no exception. Although there was no formal evaluation, I believe I gained knowledge of things here that I could have nowhere else. Not only did I have a better understanding of myself but through intense self-observation I understood more completely the dynamics of internal dialogue and value of effective interpersonal communication. I donated as much time as I could to various volunteer projects I was interested in. The project I was most involved with was The Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. I started out volunteering on the weekends as a food server and ended up working there full time as a Client Service Specialist providing access to health services, meals and basic living necessities. I also volunteered to reformat Ron Paul’s congressional campaign website in 2004. Presently I volunteer my time to various activities at my local church ranging from manning booths to technical and website support. In my short Army career I have managed to perform above the average soldier. I was in the top 10% of my AIT class earning me a spot on the coveted “Commandants List”. While not selected as the distinguished honor graduate in ASI I was in the competition by scoring in the top 10% in all tests and hands-on excercises. My ASVAB scores were also quite high, I scored no less than 130 on any line score, a 132 GT, and placed in the 99th percentile among all test takers.
sponsored by the Blue Mountain Center for Meditation. The first retreat was 2 weeks long and consisted of half a week preparation, one week observing a vow of silence, the another half week of recovery. The second retreat was conducted in the same format but with two weeks of silence preceded and followed by one week of preparation and recovery. These retreats were designed to hone our skills of meditation as taught by the centers founder, former Fulbright Scholar Eknath Easwaran. It is a common experience for one when observing silence and engaging in meditative exercise for extended periods to have the unconscious mind present them with uncomfortable truths and aspects of themselves which the conscious mind is not willing to face, I was no exception. Although there was no formal evaluation, I believe I gained knowledge of things here that I could have nowhere else. Not only did I have a better understanding of myself but through intense self-observation I understood more completely the dynamics of internal dialogue and value of effective interpersonal communication. I donated as much time as I could to various volunteer projects I was interested in. The project I was most involved with was The Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. I started out volunteering on the weekends as a food server and ended up working there full time as a Client Service Specialist providing access to health services, meals and basic living necessities. I also volunteered to reformat Ron Paul’s congressional campaign website in 2004. Presently I volunteer my time to various activities at my local church ranging from manning booths to technical and website support. In my short Army career I have managed to perform above the average soldier. I was in the top 10% of my AIT class earning me a spot on the coveted “Commandants List”. While not selected as the distinguished honor graduate in ASI I was in the competition by scoring in the top 10% in all tests and hands-on excercises. My ASVAB scores were also quite high, I scored no less than 130 on any line score, a 132 GT, and placed in the 99th percentile among all test takers.