Fate played a fortunate hand when I ended up in the same lab as Zach. During that time, I took an advanced software engineering course with him and earned one of the highest scores in the course’s history. Although he was never my advisor, he knows me and my work well. Still, driven solely by his genuine care for the PLSE students whom he treats like his own children, he chose to go out of his way to support me with my goals .
I have always wanted to give my children a Persian and a Swiss name (two middle names). But when it came to our son, I had no problem breaking this rule, because I couldn’t think of anyone more fitting to name him after than Zach, a person who goes all out for the people whom he cares about, performs magic on a daily basis, and tells the best dad jokes. May this boy embody these qualities after his namesake.
