The Puzzle of Life

It was a long, hot summer afternoon, and we were sitting near a planter outside Salazar hall. Our professor had given us our first big assignment which was to make a profile on a classmate. As she called my name, I turned to look at my partner trying to get my first impressions, thinking to myself, “where could the name Toma be from,” while processing her face with her name.

Looking very comfortable with what seemed to be a crop top with shorts, as well as sandals, it seemed like an appropriate outfit for the weather. She introduced herself again as “Toma,” but as I began to ask more questions, she let me know her full name was “Tamara Dayton” representing her Russian background. Although she came from a Russian family, she was an only child born in San Jose, CA.

As we talked about our passions, she expressed how spirited she was with helping others. As she continued to explain, it was as if a puzzle was unraveling in front of my own eyes. She continued to reveal how she was “the one friend who her friends can confide to”. She went on by stating how good she felt helping others and plans describing her becoming a psychologist. Through her future endeavors, she hopes to become a counselor and possibly an adolescent psychologist. Her passion for making people feel better resembled her emotions as she seemed thrilled and electrified in a way by just talking about her future. Toma went on as she conveyed the idea of uplifting and brightening people’s days, or even lives, by using her own personal
experiences to relate to people. As she continued to talk, it was evident that she was “passionate about life.” She got personal by filling me in her goal of “impacting people’s lives” as her passion glowed through her, proving she really wanted this.

As we were coming to the end of our interview, I realized that this was less awkward than it seemed at first. It was really interesting to know the story of someone else. I realized Toma’s vibe was very contagious. However, those brief thirty minutes with her were not enough to get to know her. I recall her saying out of nowhere from the start that although she may not look like a kind person, she really was friendly. This is what counted and it was evident through her optimistic way of thinking. Despite some unavoidable obstacles that Toma will face in the future, it is prominent to state that she does not lack faith and has self-confidence. Her passion gave a whole new meaning to life and gave me a new perspective from taking on a challenge of being a vegetarian to a simple wish of wanting to escape the inevitable death. Toma embraced the key characteristics every person should have.