Hey I'm Stephen! I have a love for travel that is only surpassed by my love for peanut butter. I'm definitely a foodie, adventure seeker, and a lover of nature and exercise. I'm also a nerd since I graduated from with a B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering. I am always looking for new people to meet and new places to explore!

During college I found that I enjoyed giving back through volunteering which led me to participate in a service year after college with AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps as a team leader. I led a group of young adults around the nation to perform work on the various disasters last year. Last year, I finished a program called Bike and Build that benefits affordable housing by organizing cross-country cycling trips for young adults who fundraise and volunteer along the way. I also bikepacked down the West Coast from Vancouver, BC to San Diego, CA through parts of the Pacific Northwest and then along the Pacific Highway. Following that, I traveled around Mexico and later returned to Long Island where I started my own single person practice as a Mechanical Design Engineer.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

People help make travel worthwhile, and living or sharing a meal with a stranger is a fantastic way to get acquainted. I have often found that connecting with others helps to build memories and make travel more worthwhile. Plus, you can learn a lot from just talking or spending time with others, and I am an avid fan of earning through experiences. If I happen to need housing for a night or want to meet up with others, I hope to use Couchsurfing to quickly locate new friends.

Interests

Exercise, cooking, science, hiking.

• cooking
• running
• traveling
• medicine
• science
• lifting
• obstacle races
• healthy cooking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: A Day to Remember, Rise Against, The Story So Far, Paramore, Tonight Alive, OneRepublic, Goo Goo Dolls, Walk the Moon, Third Eye Blind, The Fray, Skillet, Imagine Dragons, Taylor Swift, Kesha, Macklemore, Avicii

Movies: Inception, Sherlock Holmes, Saving Private Ryan, Wedding Crashers

Books: The 4 Hour Workweek, The Alchemist, Born to Run, Hunger Games (series), Brave New World, The Wolf of Wall Street, Harry Potter (series), (Salt, Sugar, Fat), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Biked across the northern USA on a supported trip with 26 other people through a program called Bike and Build. We spread awareness for affordable housing through fundraising and volunteering with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together.

Another cool thing I did was learn to drive a manual transmission in Iceland and camp with a group of strangers around the entire country.

Teach, Learn, Share

Cooking and exercise are hobbies that I can discuss and teach others about. I will also be learning more about camping and travel as I do bikepacking, so I can impart any knowledge from that. I am open to learning and tips or advice other have for me as well.

What I Can Share with Hosts

- Travel stories from my days in AmeriCorps, Bike and Build, or general travel.
- Random knowledge I learn through reading or podcasts
- A positive attitude :)
- Anything I happen to have on me during my travels that can benefit them
- Teaching what I know about my hobbies (cooking, fitness, etc.)

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, United States, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States