I love physical activity across the board but my real passion is Kung Fu. It was probably inspired by watching classic Jackie Chan movies as a kid. I’ve been practicing for more than 15 years and have a black belt. It’s dynamic in that it blends art, rhythmic gymnastics, and fitness—and I love practicing discipline of the mind through discipline of the body.

I’ve lived in many different places around the world, including Cameroon, France, Switzerland, and the United States. Exploration is part of my identity. When I travel, I like to learn about a country’s history before I go – it gives me more context so I can better appreciate its culture and story. And when I’m there, I’m constantly looking for great local foods and specialties that you can’t get access to anywhere else. I’m fascinated by the way one culture will remix ingredients to make it savory, and in another, its dessert. I really enjoy finding both the points of similarity and differences across cultures.

I'm a French national and was educated in the French school system, so French is my first language and a lot of my ideas are rooted in their philosophies. I love reading French literature and books about the world, and recently I’ve been watching a lot of French documentaries. I really appreciate the adventurous nature of the culture. One of my proudest moments was meeting Aimé Fernand David Césaire, a famous French poet and one of the founders of the Negritude movement in France, which uplifted Black writers. While I’ve lived all over the world, I identify most with France as my home.

I love bungee jumping. When I visited Macau on China’s southern coast, I found out that Macau has the highest bungee jump in the world. It’s 764 feet tall, two and a half times taller than the Statue of Liberty from base to torch. I couldn’t wait. I love stepping into the unknown whenever I can, and embracing new experiences and sensations… even if I almost gave my mom a heart attack.

I care a lot about the environment, and thinking about ways we can improve how we live and work to be more sustainable. I live near the coast so I do a lot of beach clean-ups. And at work, I’m often thinking about ways to achieve our goals without harming the planet. I’m not perfect, but I think it’s important for all of us to be proactive around finding more sustainable ways of doing things.