CURRENT MISSION

to make everyone I meet glad to have met me

ABOUT ME

My name is Alison. I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan (the actual city, not the suburbs). I come from a family of six, with an older brother and two younger sisters. I am currently in my fourth year at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and I plan on graduating in April. On top of being a full time student, I work in the residence halls on campus as a Diversity Peer Educator, which involves advising and counseling students on issues of identity and social justice, planning programs to promote intercultural understanding and awareness of social justice issues, and I try to ensure that the residence hall community is a safe and inclusive space for students of all backgrounds and lifestyles. I also work at a daycare center where I work with three other teachers in caring for a group of babies (the oldest is 18 months) and participating in child-initiated play in order to foster creativity, encourage curiosity, and model empathy, consideration, and patience for the children. In both of my jobs (as well as my life), I am constantly learning from the people I work with and constantly challenging my perceptions of other people. I am lucky to have had a lot of diverse experiences through which I have learned that people will always surprise you and that nothing is ever as simple or as straightforward as it seems at first. I believe that, even after I finish undergrad and grad school, I will continue to learn, and I hope that I will be able to do so while making a positive impact on those I come in contact with.

PHILOSOPHY

The universe is made of stories, not atoms. -Muriel Rukeyser

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am interested in surfing, but unfortunately, as a result of my ResStaff position and my current living situation, I am unable to host.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have had no couchsurfing experience just yet, but I am looking forward to the experiences to come.

Interests

fantasy, science fiction, larping, D&D, costumes, acting, puns, inside jokes, conspiracy theories, traveling, mythology, alternative fuel sources, psychology, linguistics, nerdfighting, activism, theater, and awkward dancing

• theater
• acting
• dancing
• modeling
• traveling
• surfing
• teaching
• psychology
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Crash, Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Fall, Inception, Rent, Garage: A Rock Saga, The Great Escape, East of Eden, Amelie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Spirited Away, The Big Chill, The Commitments, Spinal Tap, and Star Trek

Music: Soundtracks for musicals, Disney songs, Pink, Lady Gaga, Electric Six, Gnarls Barkley, Outkast, DJ Earworm, Dresden Dolls, Ella Fitzgerald, No Doubt, Jimi Hendrix, MC5, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, La 5a Estación, Movits, The Chenille Sisters, Flight of the Conchords, The Lonely Island, The Pillows, Weezer, Vitamin String Quartet, and 90s boy bands (guilty pleasure)

Books: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hunger Games, The Little Prince, Knuffle Bunny, Am I Blue?, The Professor and the Madman, the Oxford English Dictionary, High Fidelity, Notes from a Small Island, Song of Solomon, Across the Wall, Sabriel, and Falling Up

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most amazing thing I have ever seen/done was the giant, completely spontaneous, but completely peaceful mob that ran through the streets of Ann Arbor and gathered on the Diag in celebration when Obama got elected. It seemed like everyone just left their houses and found each other somehow. It was amazing, and it made me feel like I was connected to something larger than myself.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach some phrases in Spanish or Swedish. I can teach the International Phonetic Alphabet. I could also teach how to write caligraphy. I would like to learn something acrobatic, but I would also like someone to teach me how to dougie.