When asked the question "Who are you," most people would say their name, what they do for a living, and maybe a little bit about themselves, if their hobbies are interesting enough to merit discussion. However, my teachers and classmates already know the answer to the first two questions: my name is Simon Eder, and I'm a high-school junior. The only part left, then, is "a little bit about myself"--the part that people ask about to make polite conversation, but usually don't actually care about.

So, about myself: I would say I'm a student and a musician. I'm a student because I not only come to school because I have to, but also because I want to. As crazy as it sounds for a person my age, I actually like to learn. I don't discriminate, either: there isn't a subject I really dislike. I'm not equally good at everything--as a left-brained, logical thinker, I'm better at solving problems than interpreting a poem--but I enjoy the humanities just as much. The prospect of learning a new concept or finally understanding something I don't get excites me.

I'm a musician because not only do I love listening to music (the majority of my phone's 16 gigabytes are audio), I enjoy playing and composing music as well. I play the french horn, in concert band and jazz band in school, as well as in an orchestra outside of school. However my mood is, be it happy or sad or stressed, I can always put on my headphones and relax with my music. I guess my left-brainedness helps in this regard as well--I'm able to (and enjoy) analyzing and understanding music.

I am some other things too: a brother and a son who likes spending time with his family when they're not getting on his nerves, a world traveler who has gone to a few places and would like to go to many more, and an introvert who prefers listening to talking.

And these are all fairly generic labels, but together, combined with some idiosyncrasies, they make me (I hope) unique.