Hello, friends! I’m Jen (aka Boots, Jenny, or Baylor; the list has gotten quite long at this point), a rambunctious little Texan who loves research, baguettes, boots, and impromptu adventures (see also: The Adventures of Boots and Baguettes, Summer 2013).
I studied Neuroscience at Baylor University, and moved from Austin to the West Coast last year so I could: bask in the sun, surf, and make hot dogs (see also: New Gapper Starts Hot Dog Friday Tradition After Only Being Here a Month, October 6, 2013).
On a more serious note (aka TLDR), during my interview process I was asked every time what my most important values were. I found that to be novel, and I thoroughly appreciate how much emphasis gap intelligence puts on character. To give you a better idea of who I am, these are my mantras:
- See the beauty in everything. There is something so wonderful in every moment that we have, and there is nothing I love more than reveling in the magnificence of it all.
- Not always right, but never in doubt. I take pride in everything I do. Regardless of whether I am right or wrong, I own it. I own that wrong so well even Stephen Hawking would think it was right. But the main thing to take away from this is a) I am not always right, but b) the confidence of my decisions are vital.
- The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances. There is nothing that I believe to be more true than this statement. It’s really difficult to be happy when you’re frowning, but even more importantly, it’s nearly impossible to be upset when you’re smiling. I might hate Excel when I get the white screen of death during a full calc, but you better believe I’m gonna crack a joke about it (ie “I just full calc’ed, want to go to for lunch?”).
- For everything you love you have to pay a price. Sounds morbid, but it’s more of a challenge. I love surfing, which probably explains why I smell like the ocean and always have sand in my hair, but I digress. Surfing is not an easy sport. The first time I went, I couldn’t even paddle out because I never got past the impact zone and spent the entire time trapped in, what I lovingly refer to as, the “cycle of doom”. But I kept going, and now I can’t get enough!
Since joining the team, my excel skills have improved exponentially, the gap yoga challenge has my shoulder stands nearing perfection, and the gapU surf team has nearly doubled its membership from 2 members to 3; talk about a busy month! Despite all of the hard work it takes to stay up to par with being as awesome as everyone else at gap, San Diego has been amazing, and I’m so lucky to have joined the family here at gap intelligence!
gap impact summary:
● Constantly talks about her thesis
● Goes surfing as often as she can
● Favorite relationship is the one between her and hummus
● Laughs really loudly, and at everything
● Favorite movie is Jurassic Park (the first one, obviously)
● Has challenged gap’s resident competitive eater to a hot dog eating competition (see also: For the Last Time, I’m Not Into Competitive Eating, August 8, 2012)
From all of us here at gap intelligence, I’m Boots. You stay classy, San Diego.
