Who is
Michael Zarick

My name is Michael Zarick, that has been something that has defined me for as long as I can remember. I identify with my full name more than most people. My first name is so common I had to find a way to break free from the stampedes of Michaels all around me. That has maybe led to having high confidence in a weird way. Forcing myself to see my name as unique led me to truly attempt to fulfill that prophecy I wrote for myself. Whether or not I achieved that is up for debate. As of today I am 24 years old loving most of life and living with my girlfriend, Anna, and my cat, Momma. I spend my days listening to the news in mild panic about Covid-19 and how it is being handled in the US on top of all of the other major stressors 2020 has brought. Otherwise it's smooth sailing as I look for a job and work on my hobbies and skills to make myself more marketable. :)

Let's delve a bit into my past though. I was born into a great family with a lot of opportunity to discover what I wanted to do in life. I was blessed by my mother's desire to send me to summer camp every summer. That is really where I found myself and personality. I think without summer camp I would not be as mindful as others, as welcoming of change, and as in touch with nature as I am today. YMCA Camp Piomingo is a massive part of who I am. If you ever get the time to sit with me for any extent of time it is likely you will hear "This one time at camp..." uttered. That is where I spent nine summers of my life and I am still involved with my camp from a distance today.

For college I attended Indiana University and studied Computer Science. It took me four years to discover that is not what I really want to do with my life but I still hold on to a love of technology and its varying uses. That does not mean, however, that those four years were wasted. At college I met some of the most amazing people who I remain in contact with and my current girlfriend. I worked with various University organizations including Camp Kesem and the Beekeeping Club because of a desire to continue bettering the world around me. I was a Resident Assistant at one of the largest residence halls in the US and learned so much about diversity, equity, and ineqity in the world around us. While my desire to be a technology professional has waned, I found in college a drive to be better myself and to better the world around me tangibly.

I think looking forward to the future is important. I don't know where I'm going or how I'll get there but I am hopeful that however my life turns out I will have affected change for the better. I try to surround myself with people that will push me to be the best version of myself and give me a reason to keep working towards my goals. I hope to keep this website updates with as much of myself as I can. For now, this is all I've got because I created all of this in a matter of hours. I have a lifetime to tell my story. Thanks for reading.