This was one of the most formative experiences of my life. I remember being 10 years old, reading on the boat when my dad comes up from the depths with a rusty shotgun while scuba diving at Lake Berryessa. “¡Matias! No vas a creer lo que encontré hijo, ¡una camioneta sumergida!” “Matias! You won’t believe what I just found son, a sunken truck!” I immediately got excited, as any 10 year old would. “Oh my Gatos papá!” That’s when my dad asked me the million dollar question: “¿Queres bajar a verla?” “Do you want to come down and see it?” Of course I did, with every bone in my body. Now, mind you, I had been scuba diving for six years now, so I wasn’t afraid of the water, but my dad reminded me that it would be the deepest I’ve ever went. At 30 ft of depth, it was much deeper than the shores I would explore with my sister. “Quiero verlo papilo.” “I want to see it papilo.” I put my suit and my BCD on, kissed my sister Cami on the forehead as we always do before we dive, and went down to see the truck. My dad remembers me losing myself in my imagination when I was down in the water, completely unafraid and completely engaged in the beauty of the depths. I learned two very important lessons that day: 1) To always trust my viejo. To this day, my greatest gift has been always putting my trust in the man that has gotten me as far as I’ve gotten. In health, wealth, and everything in between. 2) To never have fear, only understanding. I internalized this by reading Marie Curie the same year I saw that truck: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Love you viejito. Soy tu alumno y siempre lo seré.