Proust Questionnaire with Peter DeMichele

Class of 2023’s Peter DeMichele answers the questionnaire created by the famed French essayist and novelist Marcel Proust.

Jack Green

Peter DeMichele on the soccer field.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

I don’t know, if I knew I probably would have found it by now.

What is your greatest fear?

Heights. I really don’t like heights, and I suppose dying because dying is a big fear for everyone I assume.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Probably jealousy because it’s a terrible feeling and you don’t want to feel jealous towards someone else and you should be more grateful for the things that you have.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Selfishness because I don’t like when other people only think about themselves. I play soccer which is a team game. When you’re trying to win and be a good team you really despise it when someone is holding the ball for too long.

Which living person do you most admire?

My dad because he’s my hero. He supports my family and is a great guy and he’s taught me right from wrong.

What is your current state of mind?

I’m calm for the most part at least. 

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

I think the most overrated virtue is kindness. Everyone can be kind for a few minutes and look like a really nice person, but they could be thinking a whole different set of things.

Which living person do you most despise?

I feel like you have to know someone to hate them but I’ll pick someone I don’t know so it’s less personal. I’d say probably, Meghan Markle. I really dislike her. She just complains all the time. She’s complaining about marrying a billionaire family. I get she has personal grievances, but none of us care you’re just rich forever.

Peter DeMichele stretching after an intense practice. He is one of the three captains of the soccer team. (Green)

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

I’d say I use “like” too much. I wish I didn’t. I will say I haven’t used it this much and hopefully I haven’t used it too much in this interview.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My family. I love them a lot.

When and where were you happiest?

In my house, probably by myself so I don’t have to deal with other people. I don’t really like being around large crowds. I’ll go to my one football game of the week and that’ll be it for me.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I’d love to have an eidetic memory. Which is when you read anything you just automatically know it. It’s not really photographic. It’s more like if you read a book, you’d be able to restate the book over. That’d be cool. I’d be forever smart.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

If I could go back in time, I’d tell my freshman-year self to enjoy all the memories and work harder in school because it’s pretty important. And also to just have a better time in school.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I don’t think I’ve achieved anything yet. So I don’t have one. I don’t think I’ve really achieved anything spectacular yet. Hopefully, I do. I think when I graduate high school it’d be a pretty good achievement.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

I’d definitely come back as a grasshopper. They’re just sick. I just love to live life as a grasshopper.

What is your favorite occupation?

I’ve heard you get paid for testing waterside so I probably do that one.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Maybe my eyebrows. Most people notice my eyebrows. I think most people would recognize me by my eyebrows.

What do you most value in your friends?

Loyalty. If you’re my friend you have to have my back, even when I’m in the wrong sometimes.

Who are your favorite writers?

J.K. Rowling is definitely one. I also like John Knowles because he has this book I like called “A Separate Piece.” Also, I would choose my namesake, Peter Moss, because he wrote “Serpico.”

Who is your hero of fiction?

Definitely Percy Jackson. I’m torn between him and Harry Potter, but Percy Jackson is just way sicker. Harry Potter is just kind of a wimp. Like Percy Jackson would literally just kill you. Harry Potter could, but he’d choose not to.

Peter DeMichele walking off the field after practice. Peter noted that he acts most “brash and confident” while playing soccer. (Green)

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Deion Sanders. I chose him because he’s like me in the sense of being brash and confident.

What are your favorite names?

For boys, I would do something crazy. I want to name my son Xavier. For girls, I’d probably do something very unique as well but I haven’t thought too much about girl names.

What is your greatest regret?

You could choose a confident answer and just say I don’t have any regrets. But, I regret not working as hard in school as I probably should have. But at the same time, I learned a lot from not working hard.

What is your motto?

I have a list of notes on my phone with all my favorite quotes. Deion Sanders has one, “Don’t allow my confidence to offend your insecurity.” I think that’s really awesome since he’s saying don’t let what I do affect you.