Hmm, well where shall I begin? My name is Daina Norusis and I’m 21 (soon to be 22) years old. I was born and raised in the lovely state of Illinois (yay Homer Glen!) where I am currently finishing my senior year at Lewis University. I was a double major in Theology and Psychology until my last semester when I decided I didn’t want to take one of my courses and dropped down to a Theology minor. I swear I’m not a quitter, I just wasn’t feeling the class and am feeling more called to the field of Psychology after my stint in missions.
My childhood was pretty sweet and consisted of lots of sports, family, and a whole variety of shenanigans. English is technically my second language so that’s kind of cool though sometimes I wish I hadn’t missed out on all these classic children’s books. I mean, the first time I read Rainbow Fish was when I was a senior in high school. Nonetheless, the books I read were pretty great! 
My family is really important in my life and I’m going to miss them a lot while I’m on the Race. I know they’ll be checking this pretty much daily though. After all, I think my dad already bookmarked it and I haven’t even posted anything. When I’m not at school, I live with my parents and my older sister who is finishing up her final year in law school. She’s seriously got to be one of the smartest people I’ve ever met and I don’t think she realizes how much I’m going to miss her next year. I also have an older brother who moved to Arizona in May. As much as I miss him, I feel like we’ve gotten even closer since he’s moved so I kind of like it. I’m definitely going to miss him too though. My family is amazing. 
I can’t forget to mention the final member of our family though, Iggy. He’s our silly Australian Shepherd. I’m going to miss him SO much it’s not even funny!! I wish I could just pack him in my bag and carry him with me!! My family extends far beyond my home though. I have tons of aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandma who are supporting me throughout all of this. I’m telling you, I seriously have the greatest family ever. My friends are amazing too and really without them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
Another thing that I absolutely love is my faith. I’m a Catholic and proud of it!! I was born and raised Catholic, have gone to Catholic schools my entire life (well, with one year of public school tossed in there), taught religious education for three years at my Catholic grade school, and just really embraced my faith for myself over the past few years. I love praying the rosary and reading the Bible and call me a dork if you want, but I love Mass!!
Just some other random fun facts about me
–One of my life goals is to do mission work on every continent by the time I’m 25.
–I’m somewhat addicted to mission trips.
–I LOVE taking pictures and can almost always be seen with my camera, Randolph.
–I’ve been mildly obsessed with mangoes ever since going to the Philippines…but only Filipino mangoes, the US ones don’t count. I love bananas too!
–I’ve been sleeping with a penguin at night (stuffed, not real) since junior year of high school and he’s been to as many countries and on almost as many mission trips as I have!
