Hello! My name is Audrey. I was born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, growing up as a middle child alongside an older sister, a younger brother and a dog named Snowflake. Early on, my family taught me to appreciate the environment. Our family vacations always included hiking in the forest, and each summer we would grow a garden in the backyard complete with towing tomato plants, creeping green beans and a black pile of compost to spread each spring. While I might not have realized it at the time it not, these experiences instilled in me an admiration for the world and natural processes around me.
Throughout elementary to high school, I attended inner city schools, learning alongside immigrants from Peru, Syria, Burma, Poland and Mexico. Without even traveling outside the classroom, I was exposed to various foods, cultural norms and religious practices. While textbook knowledge is important, what I learned from my peers has also proven really valuable. I have gained a respect for people of all backgrounds, cultures and religions. I never dreamed I would be able to experience theses cultures first-hand, but now this seems well within reach.
While in high school, I helped to plant a garden at my former middle school and led an after school club to care for it.
