What is your favorite book of all time?
Skippy Jon Jones—I never get tired of using my Spanish accent.

 

What are your hobbies?
My hobbies are playing with my kids, exercising, date nights with the hubby, gardening, reading, psychology, writing, hiking, camping, the visual arts, traveling, and understanding the complexities of life.

 

What are your secret talents?
I can make weird horn-like sounds with my nose and hand, making friends with kids, flopping my body onto the ground during softball games, and using many different facial expressions to make people laugh.

 

What is your taste in music?
Everything. Now, don’t mistaken that for nothing—but seriously I like keeping my ears open to a wide range of possibilities that range from cultural music to hard rock and reggae to classical.

 

What is your favorite genre of movies?

Psycho-Analytical movies, action, comedy, fantasy science fiction, suspense but please NO HORROR—too silly for me.

 

What is your favorite color?
Favorite color? Nope—too hard to choose. I’m a gardener so I’m always looking for colors that compliment each other and create an overall atmosphere. I wouldn’t chose one at the expense of the rest.

 

What was the best vacation you’ve ever had?
South Dakota, California, Mexico, driving to Florida—my family loves to travel so all of them are truly amazing experiences.

 

If you could have a luncheon with any three people (real or fictitious, from any time period, dead or alive), which three people would you choose and why?
Socrates: because I’d want to watch his mannerisms while speaking with people and have wonderful cyclical conversations , John Stuart Mill: one of the first feminists—mild perhaps, but still an interesting guy to talk to, and Viktor Frankl: his experiences and pursuit of psychology, specifically behavior modification fascinate me and would just love to talk and learn—talk and learn from all of them.

 

What is your most cherished childhood memory?
Escaping into the woods.

 

If given complete freedom to start a fresh, what profession would you choose and why?
Don’t want to start fresh—I’m living a balanced life and love my jobs.

 

Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

Actress

 

What is your favorite place on Earth?
Home with my three special guys.

April 2009

Know Our Staff: Nikki Schmidt

Programs Assistant:

Helps create, coordinate and deliver the fee for service programs offered to various business organizations and agencies, in addition to our workshops open to the public.  Nikki also coordinates the “Train the Trainers” workshop offered to all our volunteers and interns interested on teaching TCC’s curriculum and has been researching and developing our Intergenerational Conflict program.

 

What makes your angry? How do you overcome your anger?
The only one that can truly get under my skin anymore is my husband. I usually deal with it by doing something physical and then coming back to the conversation—it’s amazing how after a little physical activity how well I can think!

 

If given a choice, which animal would you want to be? Why?
A BAT! They are the most amazing animals—they can fly, have sonar radar, eat pesty little bugs, and they are so adorable!

 

What is your favorite quote?
Oh, geez—that’s a loaded question. One of my hobbies is actually collecting quotes. However, a quote that I love and think is very applicable to the work I do at The Conflict Center:
“You are not responsible for the programming you pick up in childhood. However, as an adult you are 100% responsible for fixing it.” –Kenneth Keyes Jr.

 

Tell us something you have learned from a child.
What haven’t I learned from a child is more of the question but recently: playing is the staple of life.

 

If you could visit a time in history what would that be?
Every single moment: can we just download it into my brain? More specific: I would like to see the day to day lives of ancient civilizations: Incan, Mayan, Egyptian, etc. I’m more interested in the stories that shape history.

 

What do you want to be known for?
A great mother and wife—everything else is just a bonus and really not that important.