QUESTION: Identify someone you regard as a hero, a leader or role model whom you admire. Describe how this person has influenced your development.

Albert Einstein stands as a hero to me because he not only changed the world, he did something more important -- he changed our understanding of it. While he is considered one of the great physicists of all time, his achievements also transcend his profession due to the humanitarian concerns he applied to his work. He observed the world though a unique lens, and as a result developed a new vision of the universe. It is this ability to see the world from a novel perspective that I strive to emulate in my own work.


Einstein's ideas, like Darwin's, reverberated beyond science, because they changed forever the way many people viewed the cosmos and themselves. For this reason, and his Jewish heritage, he became a target of political and religious factors for much of his life. But Einstein did not shrink from the challenges leveled against him, instead he spoke up for humanitarian issues of importance to him. In the face of adversity he stayed true to his own moral sense. This is where Einstein truly distinguishes himself in my mind as a hero. From risking retribution during World War I by signing an antiwar petition while still living in Germany to campaigning for a ban on nuclear weapons (the development of which he is often unfairly linked to), his moral compass was unwavering. Whatever my achievements in life, I look to Einstein's example as an inspiration for how to view the world with a humanitarian eye.

"Creativity," Einstein said, "is seeing what everyone sees and thinking what no one has ever thought." This truism continues to guide me in both my intellectual pursuits and business endeavors. To me, Einstein is a role model for what a person can accomplish, if they put their mind to it.

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