I have grown up and spent my whole life on the East Coast, specifically in the DC metropolitan area. I lived in Arlington, VA until I attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA where I graduated with a degree in Economics. JMU is located in the Shenandoah Valley of the Appalachian Mountains a short drive away from Shenandoah National Park where I spent my formative years hiking and camping, inspiring my love of the outdoors. Since college, I have definitely caught the travel bug, spending time abroad in Europe visiting my girlfriend who was studying in Italy as well as taking road trips up and down the East Coast climbing mountains like Katahdin and Washington and spending a couple weeks on the Appalachian Trail. More recently, a buddy of mine moved out to Montana and I decided to tag along with him and help him move into his new place. As we were on the road in Big Sky country and hitting national parks like Badlands and Glacier, I knew that I needed to get out West and experience some of the adventure that abounds in our nation’s open spaces. That is why I am so excited about this opportunity. I plan on taking full advantage of my time off and exploring as much of this country as I can. I’m also a huge fan of live music and especially “jam bands” and classic rock, but I also enjoy country music, hip-hop, jazz, bluegrass, and pretty much anything else that gets me on my feet. Sports are also a big part of my life, so it will be interesting to see how I cope with missing seeing my Nationals in the MLB playoffs and the newly revamped Wizards roster while I am without service in the dessert. Regardless, I am excited for this program to begin so I can meet everyone!
