I learn best by doing.

That’s meant saying yes to experiences before I fully knew what they would require of me. When I was 17, I crossed the Mexican border alone and rode over 100 miles through the desert with a guide named Waldo. The challenge wasn’t just physical; it was situational. I had to trust someone I had just met, adapt quickly, and stay present in an environment that demanded attention. That experience changed how I think about independence, preparation, and what it means to navigate uncertainty.

I’ve always been drawn to challenges that require follow-through.

When I was thirteen, after a lot of persistence, my parents agreed to let me use a chainsaw on one condition: I’d be responsible for supplying all the firewood for our fireplace that winter. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was real responsibility. Stacking wood day after day taught me something simple that’s stuck with me ever since: progress comes from consistency, not intensity.

I’m always paying attention to context. Competing on varsity golf and track teams early on put me around older teammates whose perspectives pushed me to think ahead and listen before I needed the advice. That mindset has carried into other experiences too, from competing at DECA states in Boston to traveling through Italy and noticing how different cultures define success and balance. Wherever I am, I tend to ask the same questions: What’s different here? Why does it work this way? What can I take with me?

Every new environment reveals something, about the world and about myself.

I’m motivated by movement, by contrast, and by the process of learning through experience rather than theory alone. If being named after da Vinci taught me anything, it’s that growth isn’t about arriving somewhere final. It’s about staying engaged, staying adaptable, and continuing forward.

And I’m excited to see where it leads.