I grew up in a small town called Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island in Washington state. I have one brother, Rocco, who is studying music education in college. My mom is a house cleaner and an amazing gardener and my dad is a retired businessman who loves to listen to jazz music. My parents raised me to dance whenever possible, so my favorite thing to do is to dance.
On Whidbey Island I learned to love hiking, nature and exploring, but I always felt that I was missing out on seeing more of the world. I wanted to travel when I was younger, but going abroad can be expensive. Last year I decided that I couldn't wait any longer to travel to a new land. I sold my car so that I could afford to go on a study abroad to Nepal and India.
I went to Nepal and India with 13 students from my school who were interested in the same topic as me: global health. At first, I was nervous to spend two months away from home with people I barely knew, but after a few weeks, my study abroad partners became family. We trekked up mountains together, danced together, and learned about health by talking to the kids and adults we stayed with.
While traveling, I became fascinated with the diversity of cultures in India. I wanted to learn more, so I started asking my new friends to teach me Hindi.
