A man of many talents: Mark Heimann’s intensive quest to conquer everything Wash. U. has to offer
Mia Kweskin | Staff Reporter
February 27, 2014
He takes versatility to a whole new level, trumping the notion that passion can only be applied to one field. At a school with thousands of well-rounded individuals, he represents just how unbounded interests can be. From chess champion to instrument intellectual and beyond, there’s no one label you can place on Washington University junior Mark Heimann.
“At Wash. U., you can be a nerd, and that’s cool, but you can also burst the bubble of being the stereotypical nerd. I like that we have nerds in the sense that you have an area of interest that you’re really passionate about and proficient in but not in the sense that that’s the only area you’re able to participate meaningfully in,” Heimann said.
When Heimann was 5, his dad bought him and his twin brother their first chess set for Christmas. Just a few years later, Heimann finished fifth in the national championship for second-graders. He then went on to win the national grade-level championships from third through fifth grade, as well as in seventh and eighth grade. In middle and high school, he won the Pennsylvania state championship as well as the Ohio state championship. Despite the influx of honors related to chess, Heimann remains humble about his achievements.
“It’s crazy how good Mark is at chess but how relatively few people know,” junior Laura Watkins said. “He’s a really genuinely humble guy, and [he] never talks about his achievements unless you bring it up and ask him.”
With so many chess accolades, Heimann often felt boxed in by the label “chess guy.” He said he still loves the game and currently holds the position of president for the Chess Club on campus; however, in high school, where there was “one standard for being cool,” he felt he needed to branch out.
“The story of my life in high school was that I was really concerned I was too nerdy,” Heimann said. “To a certain extent, I felt like chess was reaffirming my status as a nerd. Every time I talked to peoplee, they would always say, ‘Oh, you’re really good at chess,’ which is cool, but I was like, ‘Is that all there is to me?’”
Looking to explore new interests, Heimann spent the majority of his spare time in high school researching unique instruments. At around the same age he started playing chess, he also started playing piano. In high school, however, his instrument cravings became more obscure when he picked up and became instantly obsessed with the hammered dulcimer—an instrument he describes as a “lumberjack’s piano” that’s “a joy to play.”
Heimann “has introduced me to eight new instruments, most of which I do not remember the names of,” sophomore Shane Deiley said. “But my favorite that he has introduced [me to] is the hammered dulcimer. It’s so cool, and he’s a boss at playing it.”
In addition to the hammered dulcimer, Heimann plays the guitar, mountain dulcimer, ocarina, tin whistle and thumb piano (kalimba)—just to name a few.
Full article here.
Genius.