I am from San Francisco and studied Classical History and Political Science at UC Berkeley where I graduated in 2012. In 2011, I studied abroad in Bologna and it changed my life. Since then I wanted to keep learning about new cultural perspectives and use that understanding to improve the lives of others.

After graduating I worked at LinkedIn in sales. However, I was not passionate about it, and knew that I wanted to work in the political science arena. I am attending Johns Hopkins University in Fall 2017, and I begin my first year in Bologna before returning to Washington DC for my second year. My current goal is to focus on migration and integration policy, with a special emphasis on how social identity impacts regional security during migration.

When I am not working or studying, I love making new friends and exploring. I have an active social life, attend music concerts frequently, go out to bars and generally like being out of the house. However, I also have a passion for cooking, and enjoy hosting dinner parties when I have an apartment of my own.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am couchsurfing during my year in Bologna as a more economical means for exploring. I am not someone who needs many amenitites, and since my main interest is meeting new people in the places I travel, couchsurfing seemed like the best way to do this! I joined Couchsurfing in 2011, but since I traveled with a group from my study abroad program, I never ended up staying with a couch surf host. I am excited to change that this year!

Interests

I swam freestyle and backstroke all throughout high school, I've played tenor saxophone for 8 years (although now I'm trying to start guitar), I love to grow vegetables during the summer (especially tomatoes...nothing quite like a homegrown tomato). I also bake my own bread with a sourdough starter I created myself. I travel often to music festivals within the USA, but I am very excited to see other music festivals internationally, such as Tomorrowland, Glastonbury, Afrikaburn, and Sonar.

• music festivals
• cooking
• coffee
• partying
• music
• electronic music
• guitar
• cycling
• history
• international relations
• political science
• science
• beaches
• ancient history
• social media
• pubs
• bitcoin
• bread baking
• political theory

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Waking Life, Baraka, the Virgin Suicides, the Reader, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Mean Girls, Bridesmaids, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Veep

Books:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Beloved, Harry Potter, Brideshead Revisited, Shakespeare, Farenheit 451, Brave New World, Amadeus, The Scarlet Letter, Walt Whitman, The Secret Histories, Dune

Music:
Eric Prydz, Deadmau5, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Fleetwood Mac, Beyonce, the Black Keys, Coldplay, Florence + the Machines, Madonna, Pendulum, Robyn

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, England, France, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States