We are the sum of our experiences

I was born in June, 1988, to Sandra and Michael Gorichanaz. I was the second child to each of them, though I have two older siblings. Yes, we are one of those families. That is to say, we are about as normal as can be expected of any modern American family.

Both of my parents worked for the Northwestern Mutual insurance company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for most of their lives. Dad started with several manual labor jobs right out of high school before ending up in the Northwestern’s computer operations center, in a time when computers were room sized and operating one meant something entirely different than it does today. Mom began interning with the company at the end of high school and went on to complete her master’s degree in business administration and finance.

Within a few years after my birth, my brothers Tim and Ben arrived. The three of us, along with my older sister Kim, attended St. Hubert Catholic grade school through eighth grade. My youth was probably a typical suburban youth, but when my parents disclosed they were getting a divorce, when I was eight, I felt like the world was collapsing. It sounds silly to think about now, but I remember the crying and the anger I felt. We all got through it, of course, and I am so grateful for how the situation turned out.

Mom got remarried, and then came Maggie, Selena, Ricky, Christina and Tristan. In what now seems like no time at all, my family doubled, giving me the lifelong privilege of having to explain that I have nine siblings and why I cannot remember all their birthdays.

When I was 10, Mom franchised a dollar store in West Bend, to where we were in the process of moving pending a delayed house construction. That store opening was a defining moment in my life. I was involved from the beginning, first helping with stocking, but soon doing much more. Customers were surprised and delighted to see such a young boy cashiering, but to me it was so much more.

In the years following, we expanded the first location and opened another in a nearby city. Even before I could drive, I was traveling internationally (OK, just to Canada, but still) to order 50 to 100 thousand dollars in merchandise at various trade shows. Once I turned 16, I took on more of the management. I drove 80 miles a day to travel between both locations, high school and home. By 18, I was handling almost all of the inventory and finances. Finances that were becoming increasingly difficult with the shifting economy.

With my potential college career on the horizon, we opted to liquidate the stores. By the end, I had learned so much, I often wished I could go back and do things differently. Those eight years taught me responsibility and made me even more of an independent thinker. Especially in the last years, I learned to be resourceful, to spend money wisely and to operate efficiently. These foundations helped me use my time in college to become remarkably well rounded, especially outside of coursework.

I started at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in fall 2006 with a vague desire to pursue pharmacy, or perhaps become a doctor. Like nearly every undergraduate, my plan varied considerably year to year. Upon entering the university, I was selected to be one of 15 students to join the Wisconsin International Scholars program. This encouraged me to pursue studies in Spanish and Russian, and maintain a general interest in world affairs that still invades my thinking today.

After a week of classes, I began working at one of two student newspapers on campus in the web department. At The Badger Herald, an independent newspaper that published 16,000 issues daily, I had the opportunity to develop many aspects of my professional and personal interests. After just one year, I became the web director. My job was to lead the newspaper into a new digital era. It was an exciting time, and a scary time. Industry wide, advertising revenue declines made tough cuts and drastic measures the norm. During my five years with the newspaper, I dabbled in everything from feature writing and copy editing to photography and advertising design. By the end, I was simultaneously in charge of the multimedia and web departments.

This was all while maintaining several other positions on campus.

At the end of my sophomore year, I was accepted into a research group in one of the world renowned researcher Hector DeLuca’s laboratories. Under Carol Kieckhaefer’s lead, we studied the therapuetic effects of a Vitamin D like substance in mice that were predisposed to Type 1 diabetes. I played an integral role in data management and analysis, as well as aiding in study design. The group went on to publish a paper documenting our success.

I also spent a year in a technical support position where I assisted academic staff and faculty from most of the university’s foreign language departments. This was another interesting opportunity to interact with people from all over the world right at home.

By December 2010, I was ready to graduate with a bachelor’s degree of biochemistry. I maintained a connection with the newspaper doing remote consulting after moving home to Milwaukee for a while. Before looking for a career, I decided on a whim to fly to Buenos Aires for a month to visit someone I met on Facebook. Days before my departure, I learned I could no longer stay with him, but that did not stop me. I made many friends and stayed in several cities during those weeks. My Spanish was not great, but I continued learning and got by just fine.

Once home, I decided to take up an offer of contract work for an enterprise publishing support company based in Denver. Aaron Bailey, proprietor of 601am, gave me the chance to make a living while staying close to my family for another year before my next big move. Soon I will be in San Francisco, and only time will tell where this story goes from there!