I’ve gotten a lot of trophies and medals in my life, from high school band, Vovinam, and general public school academics. I excel at pretty much anything I do. Since I moved from home, I had to start from scratch with my accolades, so these are just some of the ones I’ve accumulated in the past years. It’s just a bunch of…
2013 Fantasy Chatter League Inaugural Champion
In 2013, I joined the world’s first Fantasy Chatter League, where I picked and drafted several celebrities on Twitter and rooted for them to get the most replies, likes, retweets, and engagements. Though it wasn’t surprising that I bested the league, I did not expect such a big trophy, which I later used as a pot, at first for my succulents, then for my pitcher plant.
It now holds all my trophies.
Spring 2015 Murry Bergtraum Basketball Champions
Basketball is my go-to sport, both to watch and play. I played a lot in Houston before I tore my ACL from a basketball-related injury, then I moved to New York by way of Colorado without ever getting surgery because I had to intern. Then while in New York, I played here and there. I joined a basketball team with fellow Cougar and Houstonian, Mark Walter, as a d-league call-up.
In one of the games, I tore my ACL again, this time along with a bucket-handle meniscus tear, and was out for the year. I still went to games when I could, and cheered them on. They eventually won the tournament and gave me an honorary trophy. It was very kind.
Carnival Cruiselines: Knockout and Cornhole
My parents love to cruise and they love to bring my brother and me along. So my brother and I look for activities we can win and dominate just to pass the time.
I got too many medals so I get mixed them up, but one was from 2017 for winning a game of Knockout with fierce competition from people who were so dedicated to the “ball is life” mantra that they brought basketball shoes onto a boat. The other medal was for getting first runner-up in corn hole also with a lot of fierce competition, but they were also drunk.
2019 Five Boro Bike Tour
The Five Boro Bike Tour is weird because they give you the medal at mile 38 or so and there’s this whole party but you still have 2 more miles to bike to get to the official, unceremonious end which also happens to be the ferry that gets you back to Manhattan.
This medal was earned, however, because I didn’t eat much the night before due to a Rockets playoff game the night before, then I had to wake up early the next day, run out without eating any breakfast, and then biked through the rain only on two Snickers Almond bars and a protein bar that I picked up at a bodega along the route in Queens.
2018 Rainbow Ryders Flight Certificate
I rode in a hot air balloon in New Mexico with my best friend, Casey Bock, just before the Balloon Fiesta. After we touched back down and got back to camp, they held a, non-denominational, non-prayer (legally speaking), but very prayer-esque toast, with champagne, breakfast bars, and handed out certificates.
St. Louis Gateway Arch 2016
Ok, I’ll be honest, I bought this in the Gateway Arch’s gift shop while on an AARP shoot and then asked my producer, Kristen Wheeler, to sign it. The certificate was more for the patience of dealing with crowds, but I’ll take it. Or bought it. Whatever.
2019 Polar Bear Plunge
Waking up early on New Year’s Day and taking two trains out to Coney Island early enough to beat the registration crowd is worth at least half the certificate. The other half is going into freezing cold Atlantic Ocean to check the highly due Polar Bear Plunge off my list.
2019 WeTransfer Hackathon
I started at WeTransfer in November 2019 and the next month we had a hackathon. I didn’t know what a “hackathon” and just followed the lead of other employees. I had the idea to create an archive of all the wallpapers ads you see on the site ever made.
I was awarded the Wild Card medal. I later learned “Wild Card” was given to the idea that wasn’t given by the executive team nor the people, but should’ve gotten some kind of recognition because it’s so obvious.
During our holiday party dinner they also gave the team who helped build the archive beta sashes. Then we went to the holiday party where I hung out with the DJ because I didn’t know anyone there.