Hi there!
My name is Allison, but I mostly go by Ali. I am 22 and grew up in central Maine. I’ve loved it here, slow lifestyle, happy people, and lots of trees. I am graduating in May 2016 from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Health Sciences, concentration in Wellness, and Holistic Health minor. No, I have no idea what I’m going to do with my degree. I’ve stopped trying to plan ahead, not that I don’t have goals or aspirations, but that I’ve learned God is in control anyway. I want to live every day as it comes, and find what feels right.
I have a lot of loves in my life. Dogs. Music. Quotes. Laughing. Dancing. Real, honest conversation. Living outside of your comfort zone. Listening to your body and living each day with your heart wide open. I strive to be kind-hearted and think that how you treat people is so important. I love positivity, and people who are openly weird. There’s this ridiculous expectation that we all have to act normal. I love the quote “the only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well.” Being outgoing, embracing awkwardness, and saying how I feel is so fun, and I wish more people lived that way.
I started a relationship with Jesus when I was 16, but it’s taken time for it to grow from being a part of my life, to THE BIGGEST part of my life, which is still an ongoing progression. I’ve never felt more loved or cared for, than by that of my Christian family, which made me want more. More love, more truth, more understanding, more Jesus.
With graduation approaching, I needed to figure out my next step. I wanted to travel, and I’ve never been out of the country. I didn’t want to get a job and settle down somewhere, my heart, my head, and my feet were not allowing that. I started researching, and decided the Peace Corps was the way to go. I wanted to travel to other places, and the Peace Corps stations you in one place for 2 years. I also wanted to go with a team of people that I could come back to the states with and share my experience. Despite my hesitations, I thought I’d just fill out my application and go from there. I was at work on campus filling out my application when one of my friends walked by and asked what I was doing. She proceeded to tell me about the World Race, and every hesitation I had about the Peace Corps was filled through the World Race. AND EVEN BETTER, it was a Christian mission trip, where I could share Jesus and grow in my faith. That day I didn’t finish my Peace Corps application, but started my World Race one, instead. It was as though God was saying, “don’t worry, I got you.”
I have always loved helping people, and have done a great deal of volunteering. Through the World Race I am so incredibly excited to go see the world, AND be helping people while I’m there. Dream. Come. True.
