I've been struggling to write this as Dr. Schmidt was without question the person to have the most significant impact on my life at UC Irvine. From my time as his student to working with him, he always had a way of getting things he needed to be done accomplished but not in the conventional form. Schmidt is the reason I started looking at other options besides the typical hospital route for academics when I graduated. He made learning about public health fun and exciting because he just got straight to the essential topics but at the same time not by conventional means. The same energy he used to call people out with his catch box would be what I would use to keep groups engaged in projects but also in life. He is so important to me and I am still struggling with this whole thing. I haven't made it to where I wanna be, and I am sad that I won't be able to share my growth with him. He was always so supportive of anything I did, and so I was excited to show him when I made it, but I know he is still here in my heart and now he's passed the gauntlet to me to do the same for the next generation. I will miss you, Dr. Schmidt. Enjoy Paradise and rest easy.