Going to study cinematography at the Colorado Film School next semester! I hope to one day be a documentarian, dance teacher or adventure guide.

I am a Lindy Hopper! I love social dancing and find it to be an important part of who I am. I have taken a blues dancing workshop from Justin Riley, I filmed performances and competitions at the intercollegiate swing battle in Boulder, CO where I was able to compete in the Slow Jam which I won and am now going to Mile High Blues in June! I attended Rocky Mountain Girl Jam the last weekend of April in Denver, CO. Which was the beginning of me being able to travel for dance. I am learning SO MUCH.

In 2014/15, I served in AmeriCorps, National Civilian Community Corps in the Pacific Region. During that time, I lived in a tent in the Santa Monica Mountains, got kicked off the Golden Gate Bridge, was a sawyer doing forestry on Orcas Island, took a ferry to Canada for a weekend, visited three national parks and completed over 1800 hours of national and community service.

Since then, I have been jumping around from job to job because unfortunately, I am the type of person that needs to try something before I know if it's going to work for me.

I moved to Denver at the end of July with my dads (plural) from Fort Collins, my childhood home. It only took me two decades to move for the first time.

Sometimes I go to church.

My friends say I'm the "cheap date version of excitement". Meaning I get stoked about everything really easily. I like to say I'm a "de-lightweight" (get it? Caused I'm "delighted"?)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Travel is the best way to learn about the world we live in. And while I am young and my brain is not yet full, I find this to be the best time to grow. Traveling for me is about the people I encounter. Without people, how can there be culture? Connection is a really cool thing that humans do in a way I find completely fascinating. That's something I am always learning about through dance, service and especially story-telling.

Interests

I love learning about culture and languages. I am trilingual. I can name just about any country's flag in the world and identify almost as many capitals.

I am an avid swing and blues dancer. I think I am better when I dance; it is a way in which I relate to the world. I hope to one day blues dance in Portland and swing dance in Austin.

Let's get outdoors! It's so beautiful, especially the Rocky Mountains right outside my hometown!

• arts
• culture
• dancing
• drinking
• traveling
• bouldering
• music
• jazz
• piano
• blues
• outdoor activities
• forestry
• languages
• sign language
• parks
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Glass Animals, Jose Gonzalez, Andrew Bird, Vampire Weekend, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Benny Goodman, Phoenix, Glenn Miller, Alt-J, Artie Shaw, Robin Rogers, Two Door Cinema Club, ragtime piano, Son House, Sidney Bechet.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Top Hat, Big, Sherlock Holmes, Pixar, Boyhood

Blue Like Jazz, Midsummer Night's Dream, The Princess Bride

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This past January, my best friend and I traveled to New Orleans. It was my first time east of the Mississippi. I didn't have any money so we walked everywhere and did workaway with PORT New Orleans for room and board. It's this abandoned bleach factory that has been converted into a multi-disciplinary art space. We lived there and cooked in this weird shack behind the junk yard out back. I was super bummed because all the good music was only available to people who could drink. We wandered around and saw the river and visited bookstores and all that jazz until one day we heard this sound.... It was swingin and it was folksy. We detoured to see what the hubub was and we found St. Cinder. They were just playing on the street. I couldn't handle it. They were so good. I wanted to dance so bad but so many people were watching and iPhoning and I was nervous. But then they started to play Pick-Up Sticks and I had to. I snuck around the back of the crowd and started doing the charleston but then the guy playing the washboard yelled "Get it girl!" and now all the iPhones were looking at me. So I kept dancing. And then all the band members looked at each other and started staring at me expectantly. The music suddenly jumped to double time and I was appalled. But I danced it! And I didn't die. I sat down after the song and the singer grabbed a five from their tip box and gave it to me saying "You deserve to get paid for that". And that's how I was able to afford beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

I was later told by my friend who was still in the city that he ran into the band taking charleston lessons. I can't help but hope that I inspired them...

Teach, Learn, Share

I play the ukulele and piano (hopefully I will be able to bring the former with me wherever I go, the latter, not so much.)
Please ask me to teach you to dance. It is my joy.
I tell a lot of stories. Apparently I'm not bad at it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Music, dance and laughter!
I can be a practice buddy for Spanish, French or sign language.
I want to hear your exciting stories! When I got back from AmeriCorps, I didn't talk about it because it was so big and people didn't seem interested. I decided I wasn't going to be like that. If you've had a big adventure, I want to ask you meaningful questions so those who felt like they couldn't tell a story have a platform to do that and someone who is listening.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Chile, Costa Rica

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States