Intellectual Autobiography

I was once asked how I would determine success.  I believe happiness is success.  I am a firm believer that you should love what you do.  If I could make a contribution to this world and leave something positive behind for future generations, I would consider my life a success.  It has always been my hope, that one day, I would be able to help plan and develop our nation’s booming cities. 

I grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.  It is a beautiful city and has a lot of history and culture.  I always felt there was a lot to learn from such a city. However, I was missing out on something I had never experienced, open space.  I never had the opportunity to experience much growth or expansion in Chicago being that most of the land had already been developed upon. It was not until my grandparents moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1995, that I experienced what real open space was.   

I was about eleven years old when my grandparents began to show me where their new home would be. One by one I looked at the pictures they handed to me. It was like looking at paradise, seeing the beautiful mountains, clear blue skies, palm trees, and open space.  It was then I decided that Arizona was where I wanted to live.  I always looked forward to our yearly trips to visit.  When I would come to Scottsdale I remember driving around looking at the desert and all the open space.  It was amazing to me how much vacant land there was.  I always wondered who owned all the land.  I was fascinated in thinking about the history of the land and how it was passed down through the generations.

As the yearly visits continued, it was like going to a whole new place every year. There were additional buildings and parking lots and considerably less desert and open land.  I wanted to be apart of that creation, but it was disturbing to see all the open land developed upon. I wanted to learn to incorporate alternative methods of development with the preservation of open space.  I had decided early on that I would attend ASU and live in Arizona.  I was going to be a part of the booming growth and development.

Quickly, I reached that stage in my life where I was ready to move to Arizona and complete the goal I had set for myself a mere seven years prior.  I was ready to make another trip to Arizona, except this trip was considerably different from all the others I had taken.  This trip I did not fly to Arizona; I drove.   As I set out on my journey, I remember seeing all the open land throughout the country.  I began to think and ask the same questions I had previously as a young child.  It was mind boggling to me that I could drive down an eight lane highway and look at my surroundings and see open land for miles on my left and right. I did not see a single store, house, gas station, buildings or structures whatsoever.  In my mind I was always trying to plan and develop parts of my town.  I had great inspiration as to where different businesses could prosper and do well. Since grade school, I had been anxious to get out there and help contribute to the development of this nation. Attending ASU was the next step toward achieving that goal.            

As I entered ASU as a pre-business major, I was immediately concerned with what part of business I would major in the school of business.  I knew I was interested in real estate development; however, I was stuck on which major would be best for me to be able to accomplish my goals.  I began to consult my family and friends and was left with the overall consensus that Finance would be the most beneficial. I began taking my business classes and found out that I enjoyed them immensely.  I felt that classes in finance, accounting, management, real estate, and marketing would cover almost everything I would need to know to get where I wanted to be. However, even though these classes were beneficial I also found they lacked in certain areas of knowledge that I knew I wanted to acquire.

I decided to meet with my advisor to discuss what other classes I could take that would teach me about my other interests.  That is when I discovered the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) Program.  This program gave me the opportunity to continue taking my business classes, while also taking classes in urban planning, which provide for my other interests.  These classes offered me the opportunity to learn useful information on many different aspects of planning and development. My first two years at ASU, I worried about how I might apply my education towards my goals. The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) Program has helped me feel like the education I receive will help me reach my future goals in my career and my life.

According to the book Becoming Interdisciplinary by Dr. Tanya Augsburg, Klein lists 21 interdisciplinary characteristics (Augsburg 37-41). As I looked down the list I found that I could identify with all of these characteristics, although some more than others.  Some of my best qualities are that I am extremely reliable, always patient, have a preference for diversity, broad interest, able to work in groups, and I feel I am competent in my areas of study. 

Although these characteristics help to describe me, they do not define who I am. Other than my interests in business and urban planning I also enjoy learning about other concentrations as well.  It is ultimately my goal to make a difference in the world, but I also try to help one day at a time. Part of being interdisciplinary, I have chosen to set time aside to work with children with special needs.  I began working one on one with autistic children at a summer camp in Chicago. After three summers, I permanently moved to Arizona where I began habilitation work with an 18 year old, autistic boy. This work has allowed me to build on many of my skills including patience, reliability, sensitivity to others, as well as many other characteristics.

I believe that having a diverse knowledge of the world and all aspects of life are key elements in the further planning and development of a community.  After settling into the BIS program and finding a way to help out in the community, I felt it was time to do something more to get myself prepared for the real world. Today, the job market is extremely competitive.  Having a college degree does not necessarily mean you will get a good job.  It is important to stay one step ahead of everybody else and do what you can to 

make yourself more prepared for your career.

            When I was 20 years old I decided to take the next step in entering my career in real estate.  As I always knew real estate was what I wanted to do, I enrolled in the Arizona School of Real Estate and Business.  I was determined to become a licensed realtor.  When I signed up I decided I was going to take their nine day crash course.  After two weeks of classes I was able to take the school exam.  I passed the school exam and went on to take successfully and pass the state and national exams.  In less then one month I had achieved my goal of acquiring my realtor’s license.

I was eager to sign on with Dan Schwartz Realty and begin working with my uncle.  As I began going out to properties and meeting with potential buyers. It was a very positive experience and assured me that was what I had always wanted to do.  I felt excited to go out and look at different lots and houses.  Immediately, I began using principles I had learned from my two concentration areas.  I began to deal with concepts such as open space and urban sprawl. I immediately knew I was in the right program at ASU.   

As an interdisciplinarian, I will use the skills I have acquired from both, my business and urban planning concentrations.  Incorporating my knowledge from both areas will enable me to become a successful entrepreneur.  I will have the knowledge and capability to be successful in accomplishing my goal of making a difference in the world. I will be a part of the planning and development of Phoenix, Arizona, one of the largest cities in America.