When asked about his personality, Misha Tseitlin (12) grouped it into four categories: “independence, politics, language and backgammon.”

Independence. This answer is understandable, as Misha has been involved with two startups, GoForge and SkillFlow, the first of which he served as CFO of.

“My involvement was really out of the blue. I had a friend whom I had gone to class with and he approached me for business help on his new startup. Now, I didn’t really know much at the time but I agreed to try and help him out, but warned that I wouldn’t have too much time,” Misha said.

Ironically, this “help” lasted 2 years on the first startup, and Misha enjoyed the experience enough that after his work on GoForge, he signed up again for round two with SkillFlow.

“I really think that without my upbringing and independence, I wouldn’t have had the courage to say yes, but because of it I’ve grown accustomed to leaps of faith,” Misha said. “I walked home from school sophomore year, managed my own schedule and academic life, and looked after myself for long periods of time from a young age, so when he asked me if I was wanted to be a part of his idea, I was definitely ready.”

Politics. Misha’s involvement in debate and congressional campaigns showcases his interest in politics.

“The Georgian dinner table is a really weird thing. I grew up with Ossetians, Georgians, Armenians and Azeris at the same table, each with their own viewpoints. While for most people, politics is the taboo of Thanksgiving discussion, Georgians flourish in argumentation,” he said. “Especially after a little wine, I’ve seen many a table erupt into passionate argument about ethnic rights, political leaders and economic welfare.”

Exposure to these ideas at the young age of five caused Misha to embrace them and find amusement in making a case with his lively table mates, winning the battle for hearts and minds one drunk adult at a time, starting from age ten.

“Imagine my surprise when I realized there was a competition for this as well: debate,” Misha said. “Suffice it to say, the attraction was instantaneous and magnetic.”

Language. Speaking more than a dozen languages, most indigenous to the Caucasus region, Misha feels his personality is influenced by the languages he speaks.

“I always wonder what I would be like if English was my first language, because nothing shapes the way you see the world more than language. I remember from a young age, being told to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ but the expression always baffled me because languages like Georgian don’t even have a word for ‘please,’” he said. “The idioms and expressions we use convey very specific cultural values; I get that there’s a saying that actions speak louder than words, but in some places that may not necessarily be true. We don’t often think about it, but these little things can have such a big impact in making us into who we are.”

But backgammon. 30 checkers, two die, a doubling cube and a 5000-year-old board game. Now the other two were what you would expect for Misha, but why backgammon?

“I really love that game. It’s the perfect meld of skill and chance. I feel like I’ve played the game since I was in the womb,” he answered. “Kids often play with legos when they’re little right? Well, when I was growing up I’d always be messing around with backgammon pieces, especially my great-grandpa’s ivory set.”

Despite being a novice, Misha’s experiences with backgammon in his childhood set up his ongoing love for the game.

“Granted I wasn’t any good back then, and the pieces were probably a choking hazard, but in some ways, the game taught me about how life functioned. Sometimes you get a good roll, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes there are great moves and other times you’re all but doomed to take a loss just by making a move. But there’s never a choice: you always gotta move,” he said. “When life hasn’t gone my way, I’ve just looked at it like a bad roll in backgammon.”

Since there are two stages to the game, Misha sees that there is always a chance to make up for a bad roll. He views his life in this way as well, seeing opportunities to make up for any bad rolls that he runs into like the inevitable mistakes that come with independence or the inevitable passions that flare up during arguments.

“Life can only get you down if you let it,” he said. “There’s always a chance to come back or at least go down fighting.”