Frequently asked questions.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. I left Seattle when I was 18 years old and moved to Baltimore, Maryland for college. I spent four years in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area (DMV) to complete my bachelor’s degree before moving to New York City directly after for my master’s degree. I have been living in New York City ever since for the last eight years.

How old are you?

I am 31 years old.

What languages do you speak?

I am bilingual in English and Tigrinya, I speak French at an advanced level, Japanese at an intermediate level, and Arabic at a beginner level.

What is your full-time job?

I am a senior consultant within the Government and Public Services sector at Deloitte. I have worked with clients like the CDC, USAID, and state health authorities on public health projects.

What did you study in school?

I studied public health and French in college. I studied health policy and management and human rights in graduate school.

When did you start traveling?

My first time traveling abroad was when I was eight years old. My family and I traveled to Eritrea in 2003. After that, I did not travel abroad again until my first study abroad program in high school where I went to Barranquilla, Colombia. I fell in love with travel during that trip and wanted to see as much of the world as possible while I was in school. Once I got to college, I continued to study abroad often during the summer, winter, and spring breaks and completed my internships and coursework abroad in eight countries: Uganda, Mali, India, South Africa, Brazil, Eritrea, France, and Japan. Once I got to graduate school, I continued to travel during spring and summer vacations and completed my practicum (internship) abroad by spending a summer in Egypt. Now, as someone who is employed full-time, I travel internationally using my PTO and holidays.

How can you afford to travel so often? What's the secret?

I try to travel 2-3x internationally and 2x domestically every year. I save my PTO & holidays for longer trips. When I was in undergrad and grad school, I traveled more often by scheduling my trips during our breaks (winter break, spring break, summer break, etc.). As a student, travel is also more affordable because of scholarships, grants, internship programs, and study abroad programs. There are several ways to travel for cheap or free as a student depending on what you qualify for.