Happy Birthday Academy!

Woo-hoo! The Academy turns 30 and it’s time to celebrate! 30 years doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a group of dedicated and hard-working people, an A Team, to make this happen. To mark this epic milestone, I’ve got something exciting in store. In this blog, I will reveal 30 fascinating things you might not know about the amazing folks who make the Academy tick. Brace yourself for some mind-blowing, heart-warming, and awe-inspiring facts. Let’s dive in!

1. The Academy loves pets! We have a total of 10 cats, 21 dogs, 8 chickens, 1 turtle, and Fernando Tatis, Jr., a fish that lives with Erin.
2. Although based in San Diego, our team is diverse! We have team members from all over the country and world, representing 5 countries!
3. We are also parents and grandparents, with a total of 35 offspring. The parenting doesn’t end there. In addition to raising her own family, Traci does a wonderful job taking care of her Academy family too!
4. We are highly educated, with degrees from universities such as Duke University, Boston University, UNC-Charlotte, SDSU, NYU, UCSD, USD, and more! We even have an international grad from the University of the Philippines!
5. The team has participated in a wide range of sports, including lacrosse, crew, and even rodeo. Ask Tereina about her time as a Gettysburg Bullets Cheerleader.
6. We could start our own band! Many of our team members are musically talented, playing instruments like the piano, flute, clarinet, pipe organ, piccolo, and drums. Taylor can play the piano and the ukulele and Donna Hooper plays the bassoon (googling it now!).
7. There are a few veterans of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Jennifer is a retired USMC Sergeant. Semper Fidelis and Randy Harwick logged more years in the military than all other team members combined.
8. Speaking of Randy Harwick. He can use Lord as a title (so many questions) and has visited every state and continent except for Idaho, Montana, and Antarctica.
9. Roberta in OMG collects old video games and computer systems, such as Atari and Odyssey.
10. We have a diverse range of hobbies and interests, including painting, hiking, camping, surfing, skiing, and cooking. Mike likes to go places and get lost. If you see him, point him back to San Diego.
11. We are environmentally conscious and participate in recycling programs and using eco-friendly products. Susan likes DIY house projects. Can’t you just picture her with her own channel?
12. Some of us are multilingual, speaking languages such as Spanish, Mandarin, and French to name a few.
13. The team has a wide range of professional backgrounds, including Marketing, Law, and Psychology. I worked in tissue banking and still know how to surgically remove an eye.
14. We are highly creative, with members who are artists, writers, musicians, and programmers.
15. The team is passionate about giving back to the community and we volunteer with various charities and organizations.
16. We are avid travelers and have visited destinations all over the world, from Paris to Tokyo. Steve has been to some unusual and unexpected places around the world including Svalbard, Ashgabat, and Turkmenistan. I’ll wait while you look those up.
17. We are a close-knit group, often celebrating birthdays and other special occasions together.
18. We like stories. Have you heard the one about the gum on Robert’s shoe?
19. Did I mention we are animal lovers? You know those 8 chickens? They all belong to Natalie.
20. Some of the team members are avid gardeners, with green thumbs and beautiful gardens. You can find Samantha in her happy place outside in nature alongside Donna Higgins who used to be a landscaper.
21. We are interested in technology, innovation, and science. Yep, we are major nerds. Currently on Timour’s desk is a 3D printer, a Tesla Coil, and a D&D one shot adventure (just to name a few things).
22. We are health-conscious and enjoy yoga, meditation, and exercise. Angelica plays tennis at least 4 times a week and Robert and Sandy rarely go a day without doing something good for their bodies.
23. We all like to read and Rochelle loves writing stories and songs.
24. We are foodies. We love to cook and try new restaurants. Misty and Jennifer love to cook, and you can even ask Bri how to make Greek yogurt!
25. The team includes many sports fans who follow everything from basketball to football to soccer. Alicia and Sandy are HUGE Aztec fans and Prakash is a diehard Gooner (go Arsenal).
26. Some of us run marathons. Taylor is running the Vancouver Marathon and the NYC marathon this year! His 26.2-mile pace is faster than my one mile pace.
27. The team has some adrenaline junkies, with hobbies like piloting planes and even experiencing aerobatics. Sam was a lifeguard at a water park.  Some of those slides are not for the faint of heart.
28. The team is always learning and growing. We enjoy anything that expands our minds.
29. We love working with our Members! The average tenure of our Academy team is 12 years, and more than half of our team has been with the Academy for 10 or more years! Randy Harwick has worked for Robert for 36 years. That’s before the Academy was born!
30. We have had Summits in over 23 cities from Austin to Williamsburg. We hope you had a wonderful time in Chicago.  See you in San Diego in the Fall!

Carrie Smith
Manager of Coaches
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com