An interview with the one and only, Daniel Baker. Featuring co-interviewer Sudeep Das. sidenote - at our house Daniel is referred to as the polite boy. Ken: Tell me three things about you.
Daniel: First, I would say I'm very independent. Second, my life revolves around sports. Third, I always enjoy a nice craft beer.
K: What's your favorite beer?
D: Witkap Pater Abbey Dubelle Ale. It's really light and fun with a sweet raspberry taste.
Sudeep: Does that beer define your character? What does the raspberry explain in your life?
D: I'm really short and don't weigh very much?
K: So what'd you do before MUSC?
S: Well, last year I was working in a peds office in Columbia with a family friend. It was long hours, 6 or 7 days a week, but it was awesome. I got to shadow a lot, he did rounds on his patients in the hospital and I got to follow him around. I really got to learn a lot. I didn't get paid very much, but it was still a blast. Plus, I got to do a lot of hunting, and then I got to go to Alaska, which was even cooler.
K: Tell me about where you went to college?
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| bringing slacklining to Charleston |
D: I went to Furman University in Greenville, SC. I studied a lot of chemistry and played a lot of club soccer. Those were my two biggest things. My roommate and I had an obsession with going to fast food restaurants after midnight.
S: Ever go to waffle house after 2 AM?
D: No, we did a lot of Wendy's though. Some McDonalds. Oh, and especially Bojangles. We used to do tons of food challenges - the best one was 2 cajun fillet biscuits, 2 sets of boberry biscuits, and a 32 oz sweet tea.
S: Would you say college was a growing experience?
D: Absolutely. I think I became.. let me rephrase. In high school there was a difference between who I wanted to be and who I tried to be. In college I gave up trying to be someone else and just tried to be myself, and that was awesome.
K: Tell me more about that.
D: Well, college is the first time most of us are away from our parents. Being away from rules. You have to make up your own set of rules, and that's scare but also a cool feeling. To no longer live by someone else's rules, but to live by what you think is right and wrong. In that way college is a great experience, it gives you 4 years to screw up without any major ramifications.
S: How did you decide what was right and wrong?
D: The friends I made in college were huge. I made a lot of friends in the freshman fall, and after that I was able to sort out which friends were good for me and which ones would be bad influences. The way I see it, it's all about the friends you make and who you hang out with.
S: So you say you used to be someone else - who are you now? Will the real Daniel Baker please stand up?
D: [laughs] If anyone knows, please let me know. He changes on a daily basis, so I don't have a real answer to your question. [pause] If you have new experiences in life, you have a chance to re-evaluate your priorities. You have to decide on your priorities from high school to college, from college to the workforce, and so on. You continually re-evaluate your priorities and the things that stick, that's your core. You have to keep your attention on those things that stay with you. My favorite quote, my dad wrote this to me in church one day when I was like 12: "If you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, then get your butt to work and get some fertilizer on your side."
K: preach.
S: And what prompted that?
D: I was probably complaining a lot about life and he probably just wanted me to be quiet. It's hard to go through life doing that, but you have to live knowing that you have to work for it.
S: Any last things you want the class to know about you?
D: One question you should ask people in the future for these is the coolest medical school interview question I ever heard. If you could take 3 people to dinner who would it be?
K: And what's your answer?
D: Jesus Christ #1. He's had an undeniable impact. Whether you think he's positive, negative, fictional, whatever. He's that important. Maybe Pele. Maybe my mom's mom and dad's dad. You can tell a lot about someone from their parents.
see you on the other side,
from ken
want to be interviewed? let me know.
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