Figure It Out John Puckett

“Click. Click. Click. Click.” sounded the metal balls as they ricocheted off one another. I had just begun to play with my “Newton’s Cradle”, a gift that my father had given to me moments prior. A bug-eyed, eight-year-old version of myself thought, “This is amazing. I need to figure out how this works.” This is the first clear memory I have of wanting to learn the science behind something. From that point onwards, I was constantly asking questions, dissecting small electronics, and exploring the fundamentals of modern technology. Radio Shack cash registers took the place of my piggy bank. I mobilized model cars using miniature motors, 9-volt batteries, wires, and fan blades. Once, I even made a system that turned on and off my lights from across the room using only string, pencils, and paper clips. From all my tinkering I learned one very important thing: the satisfaction in figuring ‘it’ out, whatever ‘it’ may be, is extremely gratifying. (I also learned that magnets and computer screens don’t mix…).

My passion for solving problems continued into middle and early high school - that is, until my adolescent curiosity blended with my teenage rebelliousness and I stopped trying in school, simply because it was easier to do nothing...