My family consists of my parents, Kathleen and Tony, my brother, Loren, and my dog, Winnie. As a kid, I loved exploring my neighborhood with my brother and other friends, going swimming in the nearby lake and reading novels about adventurous girls like myself. I also loved to play my violin and write short stories. I was shy as a child, so it took some hard work as I grew up to find my inner courage and follow my dreams. Once I reached high school, I began to develop my passion for human rights and world cultures through inspiring teachers and fascinating books that taught me about places and ways of life far different from my own. I even created a student club called Women’s Outreach Worldwide to help raise awareness of the inequalities that women face in my own country and different parts of the world.
Once I got to college, I developed some new hobbies and interests. For one, I began to really enjoy my college Spanish classes (which hadn’t been my favorite in high school) and decided to declare a minor in Hispanic studies. I also served as a tutor for elementary and middle school students at the Ada Jenkins Center, a local nonprofit, several times a week. After taking a class about the traditional folk music of North Carolina during my sophomore year, I even had the opportunity to learn how to play fiddle-style on my violin.
College was a great opportunity to challenge myself to learn about many different topics that interested me, meet new friends from all over the United States and consider what I might want to do for a career someday.
