I am a California girl through and through, I love the sunshine, swimming and hiking on the coast. However when it came to college decisions I was ready to fly the coop and venture over 2,000 miles away to Ann Arbor Michigan and The University of Michigan. GO BLUE! I like to spend my time outside in nature or at music festivals. The atmosphere at a music festival is always different from the insane views at the Gorge in Quincy Washington for Sasquatch, to camping in 100+ degree weather at Bonnaroo in Tennessee, and even local festivals like Outsidelands in San Francisco. Thankfully my obsession with music and nature provides great content for my other hobby, photography. Techno music or anything I can dance to is my favorite, like Diplo, Avicii, or Benny Bennassi. I love action/crime films, the television show How I Met Your Mother and pretzel m&ms.
   My two academic passions are Communications and International Studies. These two majors allow me to explore how mass communications has changed during the age of globalization and universal connectivity. This past summer I interned at an advertising agency, Goodby Silverstein and Partners back home in San Francisco. At GS&P I worked with some amazing people whose advertising ideas and expertise blew me away on a daily basis. Ideally after graduation in 2013 IÕll get to work full time with some of the international advertising giants.  My dream job is to be the head of art direction at an advertising agency... maybe it's because I like the character Don Draper on Mad Men.  
   I suffer from wanderlust and absolutely love traveling; I've been all over South East Asia, Europe, South America, the Caribbean and the US. My favorite adventures have included riding elephants in Thailand, glacier trekking in Argentina and staying in a cave hotel in Cappadocia Turkey. My most meaningful travel memory takes me to an event that beyond doubt changed me for the better. While in Northern Thailand on a photojournalism trip my group did a lot of philanthropic work with Karen refugees from Burma. Visiting the Mayawaddy refugee camp on the Thai, Burmese border and speaking with Karen refugees who had fled for their lives impacted me in an unexpected manner. These people that I photographed and spoke with were among the happiest I have met in my life. Although they did not have many material possessions or prospects for the future they did have their family and a few friends. Their resilience in the face of political and social injustice made me reevaluate what is truly important in my life. Now when a worry or problem begins to bother me I let the smiles and happiness of my Karen friends resonate in my mind. Soon enough I remember that what I face is petty in comparison to serious problems faced by others around the world. 
   After deciding to spend a semester abroad and setting my sights on Sydney Australia I was immediately drawn to Abroad101. The website allowed for simple and free research about my studying abroad and Australia. When I emailed the website with a question about their company and a suggestion about another travel site that I enjoy I was blown away to get a response from one of the companyÕs owners. This personalized service is what sets Abroad101 apart from other study abroad aids. I hope you all get to know Sydney, Australia and me better throughout my semester as a Global Ambassador for Abroad101!