I grew up in Rockford, IL with two younger brothers. I recently graduated from Iowa State University in Ames, IA and received my Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering. I enjoy traveling, and was able to study abroad in London during summer 2015 at Brunel University. I got to travel to quite a few other countries as well, and now have many good stories to tell! My family has couchsurfed (both hosted and surfed) before, and have always had good experiences. I hope to continue having good experiences as I begin to travel more on my own. (This is the link to my parent's profile: https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/3681030/profile)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I travel, it is fine to see the touristy stuff, but I also want to experience the city/country/area like the locals do. By couchsurfing, I can share with others while learning from them at the same time. I hope to meet some amazing people on here and learn from their stories, just as I hope others can take something away from my story.

Interests

I enjoy many things, so I doubt I'll be able to remember/list them all here, but here goes nothing!

I enjoy listening to music, whether that is on the radio or listening to live music at the park or at the bar. I grew up playing piano (took lessons for probably 10 years), so I have a bit of musical background as well.

I generally like being active, so playing sports, going biking, swimming, or just being outside is great! I'd have to say that one of my favorite sports to play is racquetball! Some of my friends and I will go to the gym at least once a week just to play, and I'd like to think we're getting pretty good!

Sharing stories. Every year, the professor I studied abroad with will host a picnic or two for everyone who has gone through his study abroad program. At these picnics are people that are preparing to go overseas, as well as "alumni" like myself who have gone in previous years. It is always fun to hear stories from other groups of the crazy things that happened or the amazing sights they saw. I also find it very interesting how stories I was involved in seem to grow bigger and crazier each time they're told!

Like I mentioned early, I am interested in business and psychology in general, so whenever I hear of a speaker that will be in the area that will be speaking on one of these topics, I usually try to make time to go. Recently, I have been able to hear Frank Abagnale (the guy from Catch me if you Can), Jeff Ettinger (the CEO of Hormel Foods), Mike DeLazzer (the founder of Redbox), and Craig Culver (founder of Culver's Restaurants) share their story and how they ended up where they are now. All of these speakers had very interesting stories, and I am glad I was able to hear and see them in person.

• culture
• beer
• movies
• traveling
• music
• live music
• piano
• cycling
• sports
• racquetball
• swimming
• business
• engineering
• psychology
• study abroad
• volunteering
• food
• restaurants
• lean manufacturing

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm pretty open to all types of music, although not a huge fan of metal.

As far as movies go, I just enjoy a good movie whether it's a mystery, comedy, action. It really just depends on what I'm feeling that day. I recently watched the movie "Fight Club" and really enjoyed it! Let's just say my mind was blown by the end :)

I'm not a big reader - mostly because I don't have/make time to read with school and work and all the other things going on. I like the subject of business and psychology in general, so naturally, I really enjoyed reading Freakonomics (as well as his other two books Superfreakonomics and Think Like a Freak). I started a to-read list on Goodreads.com so that when I do have time to read, I have a list of books to choose from that I know are of interest to me.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I had the amazing opportunity to live in China for three weeks with a host family! I had such an amazing experience, and really got to experience the Chinese culture first hand. I lived with my host family in Shanghai for the majority of the time, but we took a 3-day trip up to Beijing (taking the very cool high-speed train) to see the Great Wall and other Beijing wonders. I can't wait to go back to see more and visit with my host family - but that may be a few years away!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'd love to share my life experiences with hosts, whether that be stories about my family, adventures I've had in my travels, or talking about my culture. I find it fascinating to learn how other places may do things differently that I once believed was done the same everywhere. For example, it's interesting to me to hear how different countries run their schooling - from how they break up grades (elementary, middle, high school) to the academic calendar (beginning late August or late September). I am happy to share stories from my life, and would love to hear about my host's life as I'm sure I could learn something from him or her.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Scotland, Spain, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States