5 Fandom Friday | Five Real Life Geeks Who Inspire Me

Since this prompt didn't specify that the geeks had to be celebrities or famous, this post gets a little schmoopy in a couple of places.

Five Real Life Geeks Who Inspire Me

5 | Felicia Day

Felicia is not only a geek, she's a geek with smarts, and she's used those smarts to create a well-known Internet "brand." But never (at least as far as I know) has she compromised on her personality and passions to increase popularity or status. She obviously knows what she wants out of life and her career, but she's not willing to give up what makes her her to get it.

4 | Neil deGrasse Tyson

It takes a special kind of person to become a meme, and to do so not for being a douchebag or an idiot. It also takes a special kind of person to make science—particularly astrophysics—interesting to a mainstream audience. Neil has done both. While having an extremely entertaining Twitter feed. WHERE does he find the time?!

3 | Cheri Murray

Cheri's my longest-running geeky inspiration, likely because she's my mom. Even before birth, when my parents decided that they liked Amanda Grayson's* name enough to give it to a child, my mom has followed her passions, even when they might not exactly be "the norm." Mom's never made me feel silly for my nerdy interests; in fact, she's always supported them, even when she might not get it (or agree). If I ever didn't buy a ticket for my mom for the latest superhero movie premiere—even if it's a midnight showing—she'd be peeved!

*Spock's mom. Nerd 4 Lyfe!

2 | Colt Curtis

Finding a partner who not only shares your interests, but also supports you in yours when you don't, is one of the most important pieces of advice I could give to anyone still looking for a significant other. I happen to be very lucky, and found that person at 16. Colt's never been afraid to share his geekiness with the world, be it about his love of Tom Cruise movies or his passion for road cycling. Although we haven't been together for 15 years (we took a "break" during college thanks to distance), and we've changed a lot since high school, Colt—my husband, if that wasn't clear yet—remains my biggest fan. And I, his.

1 | Stephen Hawking

At the age of 21, Stephen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given a life expectancy of 2 years. That was 52 years ago. Although advances in medicine surely played a part in Stephen's longevity, I like to think that much of it is because Stephen just wouldn't give up. I can't imagine what our world would be like without his genius in it. Plus: When he's not coming up with theories that blow everyone's minds, he's taking the time to have fun and poke a little fun at himself with roles on TV shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory and Futurama.

Learn more about 5 Fandom Friday and check out the prompts for August.