I was born in Hilton Head, SC, in the sweet summer of ‘91. At the ripened age of 2 years old, I decided it was time for me and my parents to move on up to Rock Hill to be closer to my grandparents. I am beyond grateful to have been blessed with a childhood (and adulthood) that has offered many lessons, and one that has enriched me with memories of family, school, church, summer camp, and the general day-to-day tomfoolery we were usually up to in the neighborhood. After high school, I attended undergrad at the College of Charleston where I studied International Studies and Biology. I truly had a positive experience in a wonderful town, but by the time I graduated in 2013, I was faced with the type of existential uncertainty that I’m sure we all go through in our early twenties. Torn between several interests, I was unsure of what I wanted to pursue professionally, but even more pressing, I think, was the need to understand more about myself. In the weeks following graduation, I started working at my brother’s optometry office until I saved up enough to begin a journey that – as one of my friends has irritatingly pointed out to me – sounds a lot like Eat, Pray, Love. I returned to Spain to visit my host family from the previous year while studying abroad and then spent the next 32 days walking along the northern route of the Camino de Santiago, starting off in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, and ending along the coasts of Fisterra. From there, I flew to southern India to visit an ashram, and later ended up living down the road from it for two months. I spent the next three years between work and travel, finally bringing this chapter to a close after living and working in Australia for a year.

Somewhere along the line, I think it struck me that it doesn’t matter so much what you do, but how you do it – it’s an everyday process. I made the decision to go to Optometry school in 2016 and ever since graduating in May of 2021, I’ve been back in my hometown serving members of the community and reconnecting with old friends and teachers. I look forward to growing in outreach, as I believe it is time for us to again feel a sense of togetherness. I am a life-long learner and I look forward to learning from you.