CURRENT MISSION

“Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

ABOUT ME

I am a fourth year university student at a small private college in Iowa. I study Sociology and Spanish, and I hope to eventually go to graduate school in some realm of Public Health (perhaps specializing in Global Health or Epidemiology). I have a unique passion for social justice, and find a particular interest in development issues. This past semester I spent studying in Mendoza, Argentina (solidifying my Spanish) and this current semester I am studying in Pune, India (investigating various social justice issues there).

PHILOSOPHY

"The philosophy of a good life is this...Love. Laugh. Live. and Give. Watch your thoughts because your thoughts become your words. Choose your words because your words become your actions. Understand your actions because they become your habits. Study your habits because they become your character. Develop your character because it becomes your destiny."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I hope to use couchsurfing as a way to network with people all over the world who share my same desire to learn as much as possible about people from other cultures. We are living in a world that every day is even more interconnected. The key to sharing this earth peacefully is learning as much as possible about people who live lives that are so vastly different from our own.

"When you take the time to actually listen, with humility, to what people have to say, it's amazing what you can learn" -Greg Mortenson, Stones Into Schools

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None!

Interests

Exploring new places, watching the rain fall, alpine skiing, laying in a hammock, listening to music, biking, meeting new people, being barefoot, learning new languages, going on walks, drinking coffee.

• coffee
• drinking
• music
• cycling
• skydiving
• skiing
• languages
• sociology

Music, Movies, and Books

Books:
Mountains Beyond Mountains
El Alquimista
Three Cups of Tea
Half The Sky
The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down
Jesus Land
Devil's Highway
Dancing Skeletons

Movies:
Juno
Slumdog Millionaire
Gran Torino
Little Miss Sunshine
Super Troopers

Music:
John Butler Trio
The Avett Brothers
Dave Matthews
Nickel Creek
State Radio
Andrew Bird
Mason Jennings
Rusted Root
The Cat Empire
G. Love
O.A.R
Ben Harper
Okkervil River
Ben Folds

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Skydiving with some of my best friends.

Countries I’ve Visited

Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Norway

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, United States