Life should be about progression not regression. Personal role models help us to learn more about ourselves and, in the process, help us develop and refine our creative abilities to serve as leaders and mentors for others.

Among the most important role models in my life are my parents. My mom has passed on to me a friendly personality and a strong sense of pride. My dad taught me the importance of perseverance, competition, and personal fitness. He also has given me common sense to think about those unexpected circumstances and try resolving them before they might occur. My Ph.D candidacy in atmospheric science could not have been achieved without the love and devotion from both of them.

My mom is a former Douglass College graduate who earned her Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University. The former 1964 Miss Rutgers Homecoming Queen, she also had the opportunity to compete in the 1984 Mrs. New Jersey pagaent in Atlantic City.

I am dedicating this web site to my grandmother, whom I had the pleasure to know and love for the past 29 years. Although she is now gone from us, she was a most amazing woman where the closeness of family was most important to her. Because my Uncle Mike reassures me that the heart is indeed a beautiful pen with which to write memories, she is always with me in my heart and spirit.

My Little Brothers

At times, we often need others who can inspire us to be more creative and more productive than we think we can be. Ian and Alex continue to involve me in so many activities that I never realized life could be so enjoyable. We have some of our most memorable experiences during the summers at Belmar, where Ian and Alex are lifeguards at this popular New Jersey beach. I provide enthusiastic support for the many lifeguard tournaments they participate in each summer, and they have provided me with an opportunity to overcome my nervousness in deep water. We often raid the DJai's bar for lunch, but its customers often do not begin to walk like I do until later that evening (when they all become intoxicated). He occasionally visits me here at Rutgers University, where we meet at one of my favorite New Brunswick restaurants, Old Man Rafferty's.

Ian is a true inspiration for me in every sense of the word. He is a mirror of what I am striving for socially, professionally, and athletically -- a genuine role model whose personality and charisma continues to be a gift for any heart he touches. Recently, we visited New York City where both of us walked 27 city blocks without even hailing a cab, and our adventure included zooming to the top of the World Trade Center and absorbing the spectacular view from Window to the World. Here we are during a quieter moment at a party in Spring Lake. This same photograph was later featured in a British magazine article that described my school programs. I was so happy to share the spotlight with him!

Another bright star in the night sky is Alex, who has started his third year at Villanova University as a finance major. Alex often spends spare moments at Belmar building up his endurance for the many lifeguard tournaments they have each summer. His friendly personality, positive attitude, and dedicated commitment to academics, lifeguarding, and coaching high-school students has definely earned my admiration.

One sunny day last summer, after Alex and I returned from lunch at Belmar, he mentioned that he would spend the rest of his lunch hour practicing his kayaking skills. I went back to my beach real estate, looked over at Alex, only to find that he was actually seated with the kayak in the sand. Recognizing that he needed to shift further east, I called out his name, "Alex!" He turned and looked at me, to which I pointed to the water and responded, "Hey, the water's over THERE!" He was also smiling and laughing too!

My Little Sister

Suzanne is also a genuine role model whose realistic approach to life experiences helps me understand how others may react to my ideas. My little sister provides the enlightening guidance I need to develop my common-sense approach and has many close friends who share her positive, spirited outlook on life. Her dedication to community is reinforced by her role as the single guidance counselor for a middle school in Falls Church, Virginia, and also serving to enhance self-esteem for troubled adolescents.

Suzanne tends to be more conservative than I am, not only in dress, but also with people. Her driving style cannot be described as conservative, however, since she takes each road as if she were competing on the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway. Because I am a conservative driver and drive 5 miles per hour slower than everyone else around me, there is one distinct advantage -- no traffic in front of me! I have been trying to tell her that all of these years, and playfully tease her about her driving.

A Conversation with the Piano Man

In his tours of various colleges, singer Billy Joel provides insights into the music industry, answering audience questions related to his varied music styles, and encouraging young performers to continue doing what each student loved to do. The idea runs parallel to my programs, which I deliver at New Jersey schools to share perspectives about my own life and the importance of having a positive attitude.

Not only did Billy fulfill my lifelong dream of conversing with him backstage, but to my delight, he played the first two verses of his song, Just The Way You Are, at one of these Master Classes! My meeting with Billy Joel confirmed my faith in the future: this short guy with a huge heart creates timeless masterpieces that enrich as well as provide true inspiration to the lives of each one of us.

Shattering Stereotypes

A car with handicapped license plates may not be an ordinary car, but with Paul's magic touch, an ordinary car can become extraordinary.

He drives this 1992 Mercury Topaz. Not just any Topaz. An award winning Topaz, in creampuff condition. In fact, how many Topaz owners do you know whose cars actually win trophies each year at local Ford car shows? Not many, you say. Could this be the only Mercury Topaz in the nation to impress enough Ford Mustang car owners to vote for this car at their annual car shows? It sure is, enough to secure nine trophies in nine years. Looks like it rolled off the showroom floor only yesterday, even with 110K miles. Though it's got a lawn-mower engine under the hood, Paul can pass any Porsche on the road, providing it's going in the opposite direction. He drives this car like a Rolls-Royce, but cares for it like a vintage Ferrari. Even waxing the underside of the trunk and the door jambs!

Cool! A Personal Stereo System!

What would it be like to wear hearing aides?

Sometimes a hearing impairment can be among the best gifts you have ever received in life! Have you ever considered the fact that hearing aides actually become your own stereo system, your personal volume controls that allow you to control the sound of your environment? When you sleep at night and take your hearing aides out, sound has no meaning. You can then sleep right through thunderstorms, crickets chirping away, or even your roommate's snoring! (I even wake up in the morning with a shaking pillow.) My new digital hearing aides are, in fact, programmable on a computer and have a 30-band graphic equalizer too. So you can make Billy Joel sound like Barbara Streisand if you want.