I'm a friendly and outgoing person who loves nothing more than spending time outdoors. I grew up in the mountains of Colorado, where my parents owned a small cabin that we would visit every summer. Those were some of the best times of my life - just me, my siblings, and the great outdoors. My parents eventually moved to the city when I was old enough to start high school, but I always kept close ties to nature. When I turned 18, I decided to take a gap year before college to explore Europe and Africa on foot with some friends. We hiked through mountains in Nepal, trekked through jungles in Costa Rica, and even spent a month living off the grid in an eco-village in Peru. The experiences I had during that time shaped me into the person I am today - curious, adventurous, and passionate about environmental conservation.

My time abroad also taught me how to be resourceful and self-sufficient in the face of adversity. Whether it was navigating unfamiliar terrain or fixing a broken backpack on the side of a mountain road, I learned to rely on my own wits rather than relying on others for help. This confidence has served me well throughout my life, whether I'm tackling challenges at work or dealing with everyday problems back home.

As I grew older, I began to realize that there was more to life than just exploration and adventure. My passion for environmental conservation deepened, and I started to see the world as a complex web of interconnected systems -