“I love puzzles. I like trying to figure out how things fit together. How a curve meets a curve and the perfect angle of a corner piece.”

Jigsaw puzzles make order from chaos. Ellie loves the challenge of figuring out where random things fit together to make a sensible picture. It’s a sign that her mind likes to discover the pattern in the data and bring it forward. It’s one of the most powerful things a brain can do.

“My mom’s a high school drama teacher and my dad’s an actor. They got divorced when I was little, but they’re still friends. They’re always telling me I need to find my passion. Specifically, they’d like me to be passionate about theater. But I’m not. Sometimes I wonder if I was born into the wrong family. Being onstage makes me nervous (I’ve watched too many actors flub their lines), and I’m not a fan of working behind the scenes, either (I always end up steaming costumes).”

Some kids don’t take on after their parents. Ellie sees the world differently from her folks: They work with self-expression, while she’s into problem-solving; they’re artists, and she’s a reasoner. The arts and the sciences often use very different kinds of thinking. Also, either you have the acting bug, or you don’t.

“‘You must’ve been boy-crazy to elope,’ he says. ‘I was in love,’ she says through gritted teeth. ‘A Ph.D. lasts a lot longer than love,’ he replies.”

Grandpa Melvin berates his daughter Lissa for her flighty, romantic life choices. He sees the world in practical, logical terms: For him, a solid career is better than the heights of emotion as a foundation for a good marriage. She, though, views life through the colors of feelings. Ellie listens as they bicker and manages to appreciate both sides of the argument.