James Hultgren describes a high school moment discussing Jurassic Park with a classmate that shaped his lifelong drive to make a difference. He explains how literature, even popular novels, connects us to the human condition and how fictional characters confronting obstacles became mental models for his own challenges.
You know, one moment. I don't know, I. Growing up, I. I think there was just one thing that I knew. Whatever I did professionally, I wanted to make a difference. And so as we got towards the back end of high school, Sean, you and I went to high school together. You know, that just felt like a really natural fit for my personality. I don't think you had our English teacher, Mr. Kalish, but in English, too. In sophomore English, we were reading Jurassic park as part of the curriculum. And I remember there was an entire class period one day where I was the only one who I think had really done the reading in the class. And he and I spent. At least my memory. I'm probably distorting it now, after 20, you know, what would that have been? 25 years ago? Almost. But I just. My memory is that he and I spent most of the period just talking about the book, just. Just back and forth, and everyone else was just sitting there listening to us. But that probably isn't how it actually went down. In hindsight, if there was a camera, we could go back and rewatch it. But my memory was he and I sitting and talking, and I just really enjoyed the exploration of literature. And, you know, just. I think what great literature does, and I think Jurassic park is a great piece of literature, maybe not a classical text, but, you know, what. What. What literature does is. It. It gets at the human condition and gets at, you know, the. The challenges that any of us can face. And I. I know for many times in my life when I've been experiencing challenges, I'll think about how fictional characters overcame those challenges or were able to face those challenges head on and overcome them. And.
