“Who am I?”  –  This deceptively simple question was the inspiration for this year’s D’Aripino Essay Contest.  In fact, Brook Hammond answered the question in the first sentence of her winning essay.  “Who am I? A daughter, a sister, a friend, a student, an athlete. Just a girl in a universe of billions.”  Of course, the subtle complexity of this question showed its face immediately with Brook’s second sentence.  “The real question is who I think I am.”  What followed was an honest and thought-provoking reflection on thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and experiences; the result of which comprise who Brook thinks she is at this moment in time.

This reflection on one’s self was exactly what Emilio (Chick) D’Arpino had in mind when he began funding these essay contests over a decade ago.  Chick is a retired bricklayer turned “explorer” who has been pursuing answers to deep questions through essay contests at San Jose State University and Stanford University since the late 1990s.

I knew I was in for fun the first time I met Chick.  With a smile as big as the day, a joke always chambered, and a handshake that lets you know he’s listening, Chick brightened my day immediately.  He explained that he is motivated to fund these contests because he is “profoundly aware that there is a correct answer to each question.”  Chick feels that these questions are applicable to everyone at a most personal level.  He wants to do what he can to support such reflection, and to affirm the unique human trait of self-identity.

As Chick left my office, I looked down at his “business card” and noticed his stated profession as “Senior Citizen.”  Another good chuckle before I turned back to the avalanche of emails slowly consuming my inbox.  While it may be true that he is a senior citizen according to AARP, I couldn’t help scratching out the phrase on his card and replacing it with, “Explorer.”