I was born in Summit, New Jersey.

My parents were both born and raised in

South Africa. White South Africans such as my family have always held a rather negative connotation as represented by the apartheid regime. I also am a Christian, again
putting me in an area of the public sphere not always considered to be the best. But as
both my parents and the churches I have attended can attest to, our culture is not what
we are expected to act like, but how we choose to act.
As a middle-schooler in a primarily caucasian town, I began playing soccer for a
Newark, New Jersey, inner-city team. There, I was called an inside-out Oreo, on account of my white skin and African family. Despite our differences in upbringing and
background, our common love of the beautiful game united us, bridged a seemingly
unbridgeable divide.
In todays world, toleration seems far away, let alone peace. We are a world
plagued with terrorism, with racism, and with stereotypes. It is easy for us to see this as
a world with little hope for reconciliation. My time playing soccer with kids of different
race, different background, taught me that these borders and boundaries we throw up
around ourselves and others can only be placed on us. We can decide to hate others, to
hurt, and to discriminate to make these walls. But I choose that this world isnt only for
me but that it is for all of us.
At the end of the day, what matters is the culture we leave behind for our descendants. I stand by a culture of peace, of people being different but together under a
banner of acceptance. In order to get there, we must take action through our careers
and our research. I choose that the work I do is not one-dimensional, but that it is multifaceted, bringing people who are different together, forming bonds, and moving the
world to a better, safer future for us all. Just like soccer acted as a catalyst of friendship
and bonding between Newark kids and me, people so very different, I want my work to
act towards a society of peace and acceptance.
We are often mislead as students in our consumer-driven age to think that what
defines success is money and power. We get caught up in the idea of fame and flashing
lights, that we miss what really matters - the people around us and how we effect them.
While it is not easy to define, culture always comes back to the people. It is the culture
we create that will be our legacy, and what will represent our efforts, our passions, and
our work. It is the connections and relationships with people that we make that allows
life to be worth living. My work must stand for more than just making a paycheck. I want
my work to stand for building better relationships, bringing people together, and leaving
behind a culture we can all be proud of.