Gage Jordan

Scientist

UW Madison

My extracurricular activities include studying subjects that are requirements of my field of study and future career, such as mathematics, astronomy, engineering, mechanics, physics, and language – Arabic, Chinese. There are other subjects I attribute lesser time to or subjects I have yet to study in-depth; however, I try to divide a day into 1-hour lessons so that I may study many subjects at once. The subjects all intertwine with one another, so it is more straightforward than it may seem. Nevertheless, to me, it is imperative to continue developing the skills learned as well as proceeding to understand the knowledge gathered from academia, outside of academia, and to incorporate the information within everyday life. Among extracurriculars, some hobbies include reading (I have more books in my possession than any other material object, in an array of many different subjects), constructing, gardening, raising livestock such as chickens, repairs on vehicles and small and large appliances, and maintaining my physical health with martial arts. Just as important as it is to preserve and self-educate, it is equally important to share the information and skills learned with my children and spouse. After all, my family is one of the main reasons, aside from personal development, as to why I persevere and continue to strive to become an expression of hard work and success. After all, children ask many questions, as should all of us, and the only way to answer curiosity is from knowledge gained through experience. As the adage states, “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.”