Joseph Henning 9/11/12 Interview with Forrest Graham Forrest Graham was born on July 3, 1994 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

He moved to Wilmington when he was just five months old, and North Carolina has been his home almost all his life. Until going to College, he lived with his mom and his 23-year-old brother. His father is an IT guy and works out of town a lot, so he is rarely home. Both of Forrests parents stress the importance of academics. Also at home, Forrest has a cat, a one-year-old tabby named Poncho, which he humorously refers to as a dog trapped in a cats body. His mom always told him never to bring home an animal, but he took home a kitten from his cousin anyway. It turns out his mom was only afraid of becoming attached, because his cat is now a beloved member of the family. Forrests interests include music, skating, and being outdoors. He plays guitar and was a member of the marching band in high school. His favorite hobby is longboarding. Forrest loves the outdoors and is considering getting a tattoo for the environment. Despite living in Wilmington and rarely wearing shoes, he is not a big beach person, mainly because it is too much sun. Rather, he has done a lot of camping with Scouts. After building a flag pole for his old middle school, he earned his Eagle this past February. Kindness is one of Forrests central values. He takes issue with meanness, and believes strongly in karma. In his words, You reap three times what you sew. He is sure to show everyone the kindness he hopes to receive in return.

After applying to East Carolina University and North Carolina State University, Forrest came to UNC Charlotte for its small classes and strong engineering program. He is considering transferring after two years, possibly to State. Still, he really likes Charlotte and is making the best of his two years here. Academically, Forrests parents have instilled in him a go big or go home mentality. He took many honors classes in high school, along with AP Physics, AP Statistics, and AP Environmental Science. If it werent for band taking up much of his time, he would have taken even more. Originally, he was not going to apply for the honors college, but his mom pushed him toward it. He says that its a really good thing though, and he knows his extra effort will be worthwhile in the end. So far this semester Chemistry is Forrests most challenging class. The large lecture hall environment and the intensity of the course make it very difficult. It is a weed-out course for sure, but as an honors student Forrest will be one of the strong. He says Precalculus also seems tough, but expects to do well in math. His favorite class is a liberal studies course Science, Technology, and Society. His section focuses on developments in quantum mechanics and metaphysics throughout the 20th century. The class goes through over 100 years of progress in theoretical physics from both a scientific and a historical standpoint. Forrest finds the course extremely interesting and by far his most exciting course so far. Ultimately, Forrest hopes to find a job relating to environmental science or biofuels. The environment is a passionate concern of his. He asks, "Whose job is it to fix the mess we have

made of our planet?" He hopes to be the person to do it. As a capable, motivated individual, he can certainly accomplish what he puts his mind to.