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Xander Hastings
Biography
Name: Xander Hastings
Age: 21
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Current Residence: Chicago, IL
Occupation: App Developer
Hobbies: Free climbing, road tripping, antique shopping, graphic design
3 Words to Describe You: Independent, resilient, adventurous
Pet Peeves: Laziness and cockiness, especially from people who like to bark orders
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Nike Cross Nationals is the Super Bowl
of cross country, and I love that people were baffled that my high school team even qualified.
The conditions on race day were grim: the field was hilly, drenched, and oozing mud, the temp
was a bone-chilling 40°, it was pouring rain and clearly no place for a Florida boy. Everyone was
miserable but seeing the best of the best riddled with fear and intimidation, I felt a surge of
confidence. Despite predictions that we would flop, we placed top 10.
What is something we would never know from looking at you? I love the pursuit of
knowledge and experience. I could spend hours discussing the genius of Richard Serra's
commission for the NYC IRS building, or how Mandarin enables the mind to think more
creatively, or the lab I just finished on rendering an image of the Crab Nebula using doppler shift
and Kepler's 3rd Law, or an algorithm for my latest app's feed widget, or the golden warmth of
the sun as it crests the horizon on a cold morning in Rocky Mtn. National Park, or meandering
through the crowded bazaars of western China… I want to live a thousand lives before mine is over.
Who is your hero and why? Undoubtedly my dad. That man sacrifices everything for his
family and especially for me to live out my exuberant adventures and ambitions. He served in
the Navy, Peace Corps and now serves as a prominent doctor in the Jacksonville community.
People adore him, most of all me. Above all, he lets me know he's proud of me and supports me
in any direction I want to take my life.
Which past Survivor will you play the game most like? Any of the pretty-boy-challenge-beast-
charmers, just take your pick: Jay, Joe, Devon. I think I'd play most like Jay, a fellow
Florida boy, using physical powers to get me to the merge, but more importantly making strong
bonds, charming all and secretly thinking hyper-strategically.
Why do you believe you can win Survivor? I will be the final Survivor because I'm the jack-
of-all-trades and there's nothing in life that can stop me. If I'm not happy with my situation, I
change it and shape the world the way I want to see it. I form deep bonds in every social sphere
I encounter and live such a diverse life, there's no one I can't relate to and empathize with. I'm
disciplined and won't rest until the million is mine, and no matter what I won't get complacent or
cocky.
Age: 21
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Current Residence: Chicago, IL
Occupation: App Developer
Hobbies: Free climbing, road tripping, antique shopping, graphic design
3 Words to Describe You: Independent, resilient, adventurous
Pet Peeves: Laziness and cockiness, especially from people who like to bark orders
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Nike Cross Nationals is the Super Bowl
of cross country, and I love that people were baffled that my high school team even qualified.
The conditions on race day were grim: the field was hilly, drenched, and oozing mud, the temp
was a bone-chilling 40°, it was pouring rain and clearly no place for a Florida boy. Everyone was
miserable but seeing the best of the best riddled with fear and intimidation, I felt a surge of
confidence. Despite predictions that we would flop, we placed top 10.
What is something we would never know from looking at you? I love the pursuit of
knowledge and experience. I could spend hours discussing the genius of Richard Serra's
commission for the NYC IRS building, or how Mandarin enables the mind to think more
creatively, or the lab I just finished on rendering an image of the Crab Nebula using doppler shift
and Kepler's 3rd Law, or an algorithm for my latest app's feed widget, or the golden warmth of
the sun as it crests the horizon on a cold morning in Rocky Mtn. National Park, or meandering
through the crowded bazaars of western China… I want to live a thousand lives before mine is over.
Who is your hero and why? Undoubtedly my dad. That man sacrifices everything for his
family and especially for me to live out my exuberant adventures and ambitions. He served in
the Navy, Peace Corps and now serves as a prominent doctor in the Jacksonville community.
People adore him, most of all me. Above all, he lets me know he's proud of me and supports me
in any direction I want to take my life.
Which past Survivor will you play the game most like? Any of the pretty-boy-challenge-beast-
charmers, just take your pick: Jay, Joe, Devon. I think I'd play most like Jay, a fellow
Florida boy, using physical powers to get me to the merge, but more importantly making strong
bonds, charming all and secretly thinking hyper-strategically.
Why do you believe you can win Survivor? I will be the final Survivor because I'm the jack-
of-all-trades and there's nothing in life that can stop me. If I'm not happy with my situation, I
change it and shape the world the way I want to see it. I form deep bonds in every social sphere
I encounter and live such a diverse life, there's no one I can't relate to and empathize with. I'm
disciplined and won't rest until the million is mine, and no matter what I won't get complacent or
cocky.
