Hello! I'm a Virginia girl who is locally ground, but internationally minded. I've got six younger siblings, grew up on a farmette in the Shenandoah Valley, and was homeschooled through grade 12. Two of my brothers are Ethiopian, and we all took music lessons on multiple instruments.

My first international experience was a homestay I did in Japan with some family friends, and it rocked my world. Since then, I've been to Japan 5 times, and speak Japanese conversationally. I've also traveled to Cusco, Peru twice and Chennai, India twice. I also did a homestay in Chile and went skiing in July on my 16th birthday! Gotta love the reversed seasons.

I'm interested in business, particularly entrepreneurship as a pathway to community development for women in the third world. Triple bottom profit lines are fascinating, and it's exciting to see capitalists becoming more motivated to include all shareholders in their perception of the bottomline.

Right now, I'm writing a business plan for a big data clothing app that will give secondhand retailers the ability to increase their revenue, and ultimately fight fast fashion. It's very much a baby, but stay tuned!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I was a toddler, my parents started hosting international exchange students, and I grew up knowing people from over a dozen countries. Some of our closest friends are people that lived with us when they were college students.

I've had the same experience, by doing homestays in four different countries, and enjoying the hospitality of old and new friends. It truly is the best way to get to know a place!

At this point, my living arrangements don't allow me to host someone, but I look forward to offering the same generosity in the future :)

Interests

* Reading
* Writing
* Researching
* Hiking
* Camping
* History Museums
* International cultures
* Inside jokes
* Organizing and decorating!

• writing
• fashion
• clothing
• reading
• music
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• business
• entrepreneurship
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Needtobreathe, Andrew Peterson, Allison Kraus, Lindsey Stirling, Gungor, Glitch Mob, Diana Ross and the Supremes!

Movies: Documentaries, The King's Speech, Sherlock, The Good Lie, Blood Brothers, The Imitation Game, Breaking Bad

Books: Til We Have Faces, #Girlboss, Do Cool Shit, The Ragamuffin Gospel, The Art of Asking, Smart People Build Things

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My brother and I took a trip to India to interview and photograph rural indigenous gypsy groups, and also flew to the Andaman Islands! It was an incredible experience, and something we'll never forget.

Countries I’ve Visited

Chile, India, Japan, Mexico, Peru

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan