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1.) What activities/functions did you participate in at LHS?

I played bass, snare, and cymbals in the LHS Marching band. (Good times!) I also played percussion in concert band, pep band, and jazz band. I ran the 3200 meter race in track and was captain of the cross country team my senior year.

2.) Do you still participate in any of these activities? (If yes which ones and how so)?

Yes, I’m still an active runner. I try to run about 3 times a week. And, yes, I’m still musically active, although I don’t have as much time as I’d like to pay the drums.

3.) Is there an activity/function that exists now that you wish you could have participated in?

Mr. Pastrano’s poetry club.

4.) What is the most memorable moment from your high school years?

That’s too hard to say. I loved high school. Mostly because I had such great friends and teachers. Going to the Rosebowl in Pasadena, California with the marching band was pretty sweet. Also, a bunch of Lincoln friends and I bought an old school bus our senior year. We renovated the interior (couches, TVs, video game consuls, etc.), painted it red, white, and blue and drove to all the basketball games. I remember riding in it out to the state basketball tournament in the Hills. Again, good times.

5.) What year did you graduate?

The only year worth graduating. 2008. Just in time for the Great Recession.

6.) What has changed the most at school from when you graduated to now?

Smartphones. Technology in general. It’s nuts.

7.) Which subject/teacher had the biggest impact on your life?

The three teachers that really made an impact on me were Mrs. Bull, Señorita Roberts and Mr. Morrison, two of whom still teach at Lincoln. They taught me how to think critically and analyze the world around me. Plus A.P. Lit and Comp with Bull and A.P. World History with Morrison were lit. Such amazing and challenging classes. And Señorita…man, she knew how to get students excited about Spanish and world travel.

8.) Did you ever think you would come back to LHS as a teacher?

Honestly, no. I thought I’d still be teaching in some far-flung country at the end of the world. I was, for a few years, doing just that in Valparaíso, Chile. But there was something about Sioux Falls that called me back. Most of my family lives here, and, with such a great school system, it’s a great place to settle down and raise a family.

9.) What was your favorite thing about being a student at LHS?

The opportunities I had, not only in terms of great classes, but in amazing extracurricular activities.

10.) What is your favorite thing about being a teacher at LHS?

Knowing my way around the building. There was no learning curve there. Also, I get to see some of my old teachers, which is cool. The staff at Lincoln is so amazing. I love the people I work with. And, of course, the student body is full of amazing individuals ready and willing to change the future and tackle this generation’s biggest problems.