Q & A with the Interns (Part 3): Myles Chandler

As part of our blog this week, we’re going to display content showcasing the backgrounds, passions, and aspirations of all three of the students interning with us this summer. The content, which contains a Q & A with each one of them, is an excellent way for our readers to get to know them a little bit more. Last, but certainly not least, from Purdue University, we have Myles Chandler:

Personal

1. Where were you born?

• Indianapolis, Indiana. I’ve lived in the city for my entire life up until graduate school at Purdue University.

2. Who had the greatest influence on you during your childhood?

• Jamie Martindale, my high school psychology teacher. His unconditional love of his students inspired me to major in psychology.

3. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

• I had no fantasies of wanting to be anything. I loved living in the moment; running, riding my bike, and playing video games.

4. Where did you attend high school? Did you play sports or participate in any extracurricular activities? If so, what did you do?

• Pike High School. I was on the cross country and swimming team. The longer the race, the better.

5. Where are you attending college? What are you majoring in (Associates, Bachelor’s, etc.)? Are you a part of any groups or clubs at all?

•  I graduated from Marian University, Indianapolis, in May of 2014 with a B.S. in psychology. I knew that I wanted go to graduate school to learn more about statistics and research.  I am now in a Master’s program at Purdue University in the Consumer Science and Consumer Behavior program.  As a second year graduate student, I will be researching individuals who work in sales, and I will TA for a personal finance class. I am also very active within the running club, and will be joining the triathlon club this year.

6. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

•  Swim. Bike. Run. Boulder (rock climb). Video games. Food. Food. Food food food food.

7. What might someone be surprised to know about you?

•  I am literally allergic to exercising. Not figuratively. I break out in hives when I exercise. The severity of the reaction is decreasing, so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.

8. Who is your role model in life and why?

• Casey Neistat. Casey is a film/advertisement maker in New York City, but before that he was a high school drop out with a kid and a minimum wage job scrubbing pots. I could go into detail about why I like him, but these two quotes do him justice.

“The best way to find what you love is by doing something that you hate. A comfortable job breeds complacency and that complacency breeds stagnation. Before you know it, you have these hand cuffs that are you day job and there is no way out of it. If you get a job that you hate, you will spend every minute on the clock fixating and fantasizing about what you wish you were doing.”

•  The above quote has no reflection on Nine13sports. I disliked my job last summer, and it inspired me to do something wild and different this summer.

 “If you’re doing it the way that everyone else is doing it, you’re doing it wrong”

9. If you could have dinner with five famous people from history, who would they be?

•  Isaac Asimov – crazy smart science fiction novelist (I Robot and Foundation series) and scientist.
• Alexander Hamilton – one of the founding fathers, would have been president of the United States if he was born in the United States. Just a brief history thing, Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were diametrically opposed. While Jefferson is famous for his emphasis on individual rights, Jefferson envisioned an agricultural United States with each man only depending on himself. Hamilton, on the other hand, believed that the United States should industrialize to become an international economic power. I believe that Hamilton was very pragmatic, but forward thinking, for his time.
• Jonas Salk – polio was a terrible disease back in the day. Typically companies patent their vaccines, but Salk didn’t, which allowed this polio vaccine to be manufactured by anyone for as cheap as possible. You could measure the lives he saved in the hundred thousands.
•  Carl Sagan – There is a lot of Carl Sagan fanboyism, because you know, science. I want to have dinner with Carl because he was very optimistic about the future and space exploration. He truly believed that things between nations would settle down, and we would begin to start working together. I respect that vision.

10. What other jobs have you held throughout your life?

• Swim instructor, life guard, data analyst, movie theater attendant, and now NINE13SPORTS EVENT ASSOCIATE EXTRAORDINAIRE!

11. What is your future plans after you graduate from college?

• I want to work as a data analyst or market researcher, though I am open to any interesting opportunity that presents itself. I also want to compete in long distance races like the Iron Man and maybe an ultra-marathon.

Nine13sports

1. What interested you to intern at Nine13sports?
   

   Myles being interviewed by Fox 59 Reporter, Jillian Deam, in early July at the Indy Criterium.

• Bikes.  ‘nuff said. I wanted a different and wild internship. Nine13sports has exceeded my wildest expectations.

2. What has surprised you most about working with Nine13sports?

•  Some businesses have the “idea guy” who has the passion. Those guys are often paired with a “business guy” who is decisive and can get work done. What surprised me about Nine13sports is that the executive director, Tom Hanley, has the passion and is strategically focused. One minute, he is tying the shoe of a 3^rd grader before they get on a bike, and the next he is on the phone laying the foundation for a major project. I have not met anyone who is a more effective leader than Tom.

3. What do you enjoy most about being an intern at Nine13sports?

•  I signed up to put kids on bikes and I am leaving with a deeper connection with the city of Indianapolis; the people, the history, the organizations, etc.

4. What do you enjoy the most about working with kids?

• Some kids are already on track to have a healthy life. That’s nice. Unfortunately, there are other kids that are abrasive towards pushes for a healthier life style. I enjoy working with the kids in the middle who need that personal experience of riding a bike, swimming, or having fun in school to succeed.  These kids often lack the opportunity, the means, or the personal attention that they need to succeed, but once you kindle that interest, they will go places.

5. What’s been your favorite moment/experience/event while interning with Nine13sports?

• All the single tables. D-rizzle (feat. C-unit and 3M)

6. Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working with Nine13sports.

• Tom – Effective leader.
• Ashley “Boss” Acuff – Also a great leader. Tom’s right hand… left hand…
• Chris “C-unit” Harris – This guy is a great husband, and is going to be a great dad.
• Ashley “Intern” Nolley – Thanks to her running expertise and knowledge, I will be less likely to get a stress fracture.
• Dylan “D-rizzle” Rizol – This guy has a future in the automotive racing industry.
• Way too many other people to mention. That is the great thing about this internship – the amount of neat people that I meet.

7. What on the job skills/abilities have you acquired or improved upon while interning with Nine13sports?

• This internship made me more embedded in the city. Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on myself and my coursework, and somewhere in between, I forgot to work on building connections within the city.