Stephanie

Hi I'm Stephanie!

I just finished my first year at Cal Poly, and I am a business major. So far, my concentration is undeclared, but I'm thinking marketing.

Anyways....important things to know about me? Well, I'm super excited for the Bolivia trip! I love baking and cooking, knitting, hiking, exploring, and eating. I spent my early childhood moving around a lot; by the time I was nine, I had already lived in five states. After my family moved to California, however, my family finally settled down and I've lived here for the past 10 or so years. I am from a small little town called Westlake Village, which is about an hour or so (pending traffic) north of Los Angeles. Most people have never heard of it, but that's okay. The next biggest town is Thousand Oaks, but then again, many people haven't heard of Thousand Oaks either. There are two things that Westlake is well known for: the lake and Dole. Westlake is named after a lake: the Westlake Lake. (Very creative, I know). Westlake Lake is in fact a man-made lake, orinally built to lure people to buy homes in the area. And as for Dole, if you have a Dole product lying around your house right now, on the back of the product, it probably says Westlake Village in very small font. Dole has its headquarters in my town; in fact there is a hotel named after it: The Dole Four Seasons Hotel. But that's as about as exciting as Westlake Village gets. I am the second oldest of six kids--yes, you read that right. I love my big family, but I'm excited to spread my wings this summer!

At nineteen, I will be the youngest on the trip. I will also be one of two girls on the trip. (Thank goodness I'm not the only one!)

I've been a member of the United Methodist Church my whole life. From the time I could talk, my mom signed me up for church choir, and then church bells, and anything slightly church related. The church really is just one big family for me. During middle school and high school I participated with my church's youth group. During my high school years, I went on some work trips, but none lasting over a week. Bolivia should be interesting because we'll be working there for 5 or 6 weeks. Regardless, I'm expecting to have a good time.

This will be my first time outside of the United States, so I'm pretty excited, but very nervous at the same time. I took Spanish in high school for all four years, but I'm not sure how much I actually remember.

I feel like I've covered pretty much everything for now. I can't wait to tell you about all of my adventures!

Blessings,
Stephanie