From a young age, my family hosted exchange students from across the world. Growing up hearing a variety of world lanaguges in my home was an invaluable experience for my siblings and me, and I believe it is partially for this reason that I love learning new langauges. In 6th grade, I started taking Spanish classes through an after school program at my elementary school. I continued learning Spanish through college where I also majored in Spanish Langauge and Literature. When I was 4 years old, my mother sent my sister and me to German school to prepare us for a family trip we took to Austria. I continued learning German in high school when I studied the langauge for two years. Then when I was 18, I was chosen to particpate in the National Security Langauge Initiative for Youth, and had the opporutnity to study Arabic for a summer in Cairo. I continued studying Arabic in college, and then in Jordan through a Fulbright Fellowship after completeing my bachelor and master's studies.
It goes without saying that langauge study has been a significant part of my life, and is something that has played a large role in making me the person that I am today.
