As a young girl, I loved nothing more than to read fantastic stories. Now I can see that many of my present interests and aspirations are a result of my adventures on the printed page. Naturally a love of reading has also led to an interest and proficiency in writing, which my B.A. in English has also encouraged. Through reading and seeing the world from different points of view, I have developed a lifelong interest in learning about other cultures, and other languages. Japanese has long been a concentration of mine, but there is nowhere on the earth I consider uninteresting.

Through my year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA and my time abroad in Japan, I have discovered a love for helping people, and gained valuable experience working with refugees and immigrants from all over the world.