My dream was to be a 'scientist' even before I knew what a scientist did.
The more I study, the more insatiable do I feel my genius for it to be.
I'm very homework-oriented - I'm a little Tracy Flick-ish.
I was always fascinated with science, and being Persian, it's instilled in us at a young age to follow something very academic in our career.
I had a mother I could only seem to please with verbal accomplishments of some sort or another. She read constantly, so I read constantly. If I used words that might have seemed surprising at a young age, she would recognize that and it would please her.
As a kid, I was overly studious, overly serious, very academically driven. It was important to me on a cellular level to do well. And then I went to college at Harvard, and I relaxed a little bit.
I loved school, maybe too much, really. I was summa cum laude in high school. I was driven that way.
It is much better to want a teacher than to want the desire to learn.
I have never gotten a B in my life. I would honestly be mortified if I got a B. I'm so academically driven.
It wasn't just OK to achieve in my family - it was expected.
Simply put, the best teachers are the ones you work your tail off for because in the end you just don't want them to think any less of you. You want and need their approval.
