The Couple

SHARON

Sharon was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City with her older sister Susan, who is currently pursuing a PhD in International Politics at UC Berkeley after finishing her studies at Stanford Law School. Her mother, Grace, is currently retired after teaching elementary school for 35 years, and her father, John, is also retired after serving 40 years in the court system, the majority of which he served as a judge handling divorce cases in the Bronx Supreme Court. From an early age, Sharon's parents instilled in her a passion for travel and a mild obsession with turtles (amongst other animals).

She moved to California in 2002 to attend Pomona College, a top-five liberal arts college in Claremont, California where she majored in psychology and spent time living and studying abroad in Ecuador and falling in love with the Galapagos Islands.

After graduating from college, Sharon worked for a research company in Los Angeles doing statistical analysis and evaluations of non-profit organizations while living in Pasadena. Though she left her job to pursue a graduate degree in psychology, her time spent volunteering at the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA prompted her to leave everything behind and pursue her life-long dream of becoming a veterinarian. Having not studied anything related to science during college, Sharon returned to school to complete all pre-requisite science courses in 18 months. She is currently studying veterinary medicine at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, and she is set to graduate in June 2013.

Having navigated the veterinary school application process via self-education and research, upon acceptance to veterinary school, Sharon created a website entitled "Life In Vet School & Tips On Getting In" to assist other veterinary hopefuls, especially career changers like herself, in understanding the process and enabling them to fulfill their dreams as well. The website has become very successful since its inception in 2009, and Sharon is regularly fielding questions emailed to her from people throughout the world who are looking for some guidance on applying to veterinary school.

Although Sharon only started to bond with her sister during Sharon's college years, the two have become very close, making international trips together an annual tradition. In 2007, Sharon started a photography business with her sister and has since been photographing weddings, families and other events in her free time, even during vet school. She plans to continue photographing professionally while concurrently pursuing a career as an animal shelter veterinarian.

Sharon's character traits: stubborn, playful, independent, practical, pragmatic, [overly] ambitious, shy yet gregarious, adventurous

JON

Jon has always been a stubborn boy, stemming back to day one. After 50 hours of labor –on Labor Day (ironically) – John and Susan Kuchenreuther decided on ‘Jonathan’ for the name of their first-born son. Three years later, in 1983, his brother Michael joined the family. The two boys grew up together in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin spending countless hours bonding over sports, video games, and the occasional skirmishes.

Upon finishing high school as salutatorian, Jon headed west to a nearby college, the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It was here that he followed his predilection for math and science, receiving BS degrees in 2004 in both chemical engineering and biochemistry. He also developed a fancy for traveling during this time, spending two summers abroad in Europe and interning at Intel in Santa Clara, California.

Something about the west coast captivated Jon. Perhaps it was the year-round fantastic weather, or maybe it was the easy access to the snow-covered mountains in Lake Tahoe. From Madison, Jon ventured off to Stanford University where he continued his studies in chemical engineering. His research focused on investigating particular enzymes with the ability to produce hydrogen gas, which complimented his growing desire to make tangible differences in the field of renewable energy. Interestingly yet not surprising, Jon’s brother is right on his heels on the road to success. Mike is wrapping up his PhD thesis in Molecular Cell Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, and both he and his wife Emily are currently planning the next chapter of their lives together.

After receiving his PhD in 2010, Jon stumbled across a fortunate post-doctoral position at UC Davis. Not only did this opportunity allow him to wrap up his graduate work while concurrently searching for a job in the biofuels industry, it also enabled him to continue pursuing his other passion in life, Sharon.

Presently, Jon shows his support for the alternative energy movement by taking public transit from Davis to Berkeley, where he now works as a post-doctoral scientist for UC Berkeley and the Energy Biosciences Institute. It is here that he is developing economical biofuel technologies that may one day help diminish our dependence on foreign oil.

Jon's character traits: stubborn, playful, independent, methodical, detail-oriented, creative, ambitious, organized, adaptable