I came as a 9th grader into an unusual diverse inner-city school that had the most number of National Merit Scholars in the state. I was known as a brainy student and a computer hacker who liked pottery and guitar. The first year, I was new and very different from everyone, being the only foreign student there. Luckily, our school is so diverse that people are much more likely to accept differences. By the second year, I started making friendships that would later change my life.
Brook is a handy guy who can fix just about anything, and played the guitar.
We played in garages, bedrooms, and on local bridges. Chad became a potter, and we threw pots together and share bad poetry with each other. It was a time of discovery, of ourselves and each other. College was a breeze, but I worked hard to finish early. I had set my goals, and nothing was going to stop me from becoming a famous computer scientist.