Possible Profiling Ideas

This is going to be very vague because I am having difficulty thinking of who I would like to profile. I am considering a few professors but I want to think of a subject matter to write about before figuring out who I would like to interview, just to make sure they will work for this project. I am also considering one or two authors that I am very fond of, and that might potentially email me back. I'll have to start working this immediately, so that they have plenty of time to reply or reject me. My third option, is a friend. I know we are suppose to stay away from friends and family, but he has a few interesting stories, as he is in the army and was deployed last year. If I can think of something really specific to talk to him about, it might end up being a very informative or entertaining profile.