| Nejat Ezal: Childhood and High School |
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| High School valedictorian |
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| High School graduation |
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| One should always remind, in supposedly insignificant ways, that a loved one is still loved . - Nejat Ezal |
| I often attempt to find out if a girl I�m interested in will mind skipping. I believe it shows that they don�t let their dignity and bearing get in the way of having fun. Kind of bullshit, huh? - Nejat Ezal |
| Nejat Bulent Ezal was born in Ankara, Turkey on April 18, 1969 of Turkish and American parents. He was named after an Orthopedist who had treated his brother, Kenan. The name Nejat means the �source�. His home was in Mersin, Turkey, near the biblical town of Tarsus.
By the time he was three, he had been on four continents: Asia, N. America, Africa and Europe. Every time he began to speak, the family moved, so instead of talking, Nejat sucked on his pacifier and hummed in sentence patterns. He started talking when he split his lip and couldn�t use his pacifier. He learned English from his mother, Anne. For two years, he attended a Turkish elementary school, until the family moved to Los Angeles in 1977. |
| To the delight of his father, Bulent, Nejat began to swim competitively, and, at his very first meet, he made AAA times in breaststroke. After moving to Bakersfield in 1979, he completed elementary school. In Thompson Junior High, he became famous from the first day, by rapidly solving the Rubik's Cube. He was awarded top honors in citizenship and scholarship.
His love of the outdoors came from Boy Scouts. He first went to Emerald Bay, Catalina in 1981, and later as a counselor and staff in 1984. It was at Santa Catalina Island that he learned to love water sports and the ocean. Nejat became an Eagle Scout in 1986. |
| At West High School, he excelled at academics and was socially active in clubs. He was the Swim Team Captain and earned the title of Valley Champion in 1986. His senior year, he was chosen Homecoming King; it was the only time someone other than a football player had been chosen. He graduated in 1987 as the valedictorian of his class with many honors and scholarships, including National Merit Scholar and U.C. Regents Scholar. On his senior photo, he wrote, �There is no purpose in life but to be happy and do what you want to do without harming others. Everybody has free will. Life is too important to be taken seriously.� |
| Sometimes I think about myself and who I am and see a stranger
. - Nejat Ezal |
| Willpower and determination are two qualities which I admire extensively. I wish I had more of both. - Nejat Ezal |
| One lesson which I need to learn, and learn well, is when to be silent - Nejat Ezal |
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