SELF PORTRAIT

Darren Peters

■ DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: Nov. 3, 1967, Little Rock

■ CHILDHOOD NICKNAME: “Pete” or “Petie”

■ MY FAVORITE MEMORY OF ATTENDING HISTORIC CENTRAL HIGH: I attended high school there, but I was also part of their first kindergarten class. In kindergarten, I remember me, John Myers and Fate Navors riding the Big Wheel tricycles during recess. High school: Wow, so many great memories in high school. Loved going to the football games — especially the Central vs. Hall High football game to claim “the bell.”

■ I START TO MISS ARKANSAS WHEN: It’s time for Razorback football and basketball.

■ THE ONE THING THAT TIES TOGETHER ALL THE JOBS I’VE HAD IS: I have always had good mentors to learn from.

■ POLITICS GETS A BAD RAP IN THAT: Due to the negative actions of a few, people often fail to recognize there are many good public servants who sacrifice a lot for the work they do on behalf of others.

■ PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT I: Have not eaten cookies since the ninth grade.

■ OK, I ADMIT IT, I HAVE BINGE-WATCHED: “Game of Thrones” and “Ozark.”

■ BEST ADVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED, AND PASS ON ANY CHANCE I GET: A close friend of the late Vernon Jordan shared this quote with me: “You are where you are today because you stand on somebody’s shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself. If you stand on the shoulders of others, you have a reciprocal responsibility to live your life so that others may stand on your shoulders. It’s the quid pro quo of life. We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.”

■ FIVE GUESTS AT MY FANTASY DINNER: Michael Burnham, the character played by Sonequa Martin-Green on “Star Trek: Discovery,” singer Michael Jackson; President Teddy Roosevelt; comedian Dave Chappelle; and Ida B. Wells, former slave, journalist, educator and activist.

■ ONE WORD TO SUM ME UP: Grateful