I was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. My parents were born in Michigan and moved to Arizona for more job opportunities and better weather! As a child, I always loved looking at maps and globes. In my childhood home, we had three huge maps hanging in our hallway. I would stare at them for hours. By the time I was in 6th grade, I had learned the capital and flag of every country in the world! In 8th grade, I got 4th place in the Arizona State Geography Bee. So I knew a global journey was waiting for me...
My mom studied abroad in Spain when she was in college, and she was the biggest influence on my own decision to study abroad. My mom learned to speak Spanish, and I saw how her language skills impacted her life in a positive way. I knew I wanted to study abroad so I could learn a language and speak it fluently, just like my mom.
I began learning Spanish in middle school, and I loved how learning a language because it also helped me learn about new cultures and societies. When I went to college at Arizona State University, I enrolled in a Portuguese language course. I wanted not only to learn Portuguese but learn more about the cultures of Portuguese-speaking countries, like Brazil and Portugal. I realized that the best way to understand a culture, other than by learning to speak its language, is by living in that culture.
