I was three months old the first time I boarded an airplane. I don't think I could even count how many times I have been on a plane since then. I was given any opportunities as a child but the one that I am most thankful for was the opportunity to travel. My father played hockey professionally for seventeen years. Because of his job, we moved constantly. In 2004, the National Hockey League (NHL) went through a lockout, which resulted in the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season. Because of this, my dad found a job in Switzerland. My parents loved the time they spent there so they decided to go back to Europe for the next season. We lived in Europe for the duration of the hockey season and then would reside in Greensboro, North Carolina once the season was over. My family went back and forth until 2010. In addition to living in Zurich, Switzerland, we also lived in Ingolstadt and Frankfurt in Germany. By the time I was in the fourth grade, I had lived in sixteen different cities. I consider my traveling to have shaped who I am as a person.

Since I was so young, I don't think I recognized the tremendous opportunities that my dad was able to give my family. Our vacations were to Rome, Paris, and the Canary Islands but even still, my brother and I would complain about not going to Myrtle Beach like the other kids in our classes. My family was immersed in the culture of these different places and were afforded many luxuries because of my father's career. Being given these opportunities at such a young age has truly shaped the way in which I see the world and it has also affected how I want to live my life.

I am a firm believer of acceptance and celebration of diversity because of how I was raised and the variety in the places that I lived. I also choose to see the world as a vast place that needs to be explored. I consider myself to have a global mindset and recognize that the cultures of the world are unique. I realize that being sedentary will not enrich my life but that through traveling, I will push the boundaries of my comfort zone. I will gain many valuable skills, such as adaptation to new environments, independence, confidence in my own abilities, and the willingness to overcome challenges in new ways. I will be open and willing to see life through a new cultural lens. I will learn new languages, new practices, consume new foods, and meet new people. Furthermore, I will choose to live my life with increasing appreciation of what our world has to offer. In my opinion, one of the worst things you can do to yourself is to not explore.