Global Studies Portfolio​
Travel
Cross Country Camping Trip (2025)
After such an amazing trip last summer, I decided to plan another five week country trip with my family, this time mostly in California and Washington. We explored many different National Parks on the way, my favorite's being Mount Rainier and North Cascades because of the incredible mountain views. In addition to the time with my family, I spent 10 days on a backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas with other teenagers from around the country, which was unlike anything I had ever done. Between getting the opportunity to learn challenging mountaineering skills, work collaboratively in a very unique setting, and feel what it is like to be completely immersed in nature, this turned out to be an incredibly meaningful experience.
Sao Paulo, Brazil (2025)
Over spring break, I spent a week Brazil, exploring the city of Sao Paulo, which is one of the largest in the world, and spending time at Guaruja beach. In addition to the beautiful scenery, part of why I love traveling so much is experiencing the cultural differences, and this trip was no exception. I got a chance to partially immerse myself in Brazilian culture through food, language, and people. Because of these experiences, I feel much more connected with this side of my family, as well as with my own Brazilian identity.
Cross Country Camping Trip (2024)
Last summer, I went on a six week camping trip with my family. Along the way we stopped at National Parks, some of my favorite's being Rocky Mountain, Glacier, and the Canadian park of Banff. Throughout the trip we hiked over 100 miles, went rock climbing, white water rafting, and did a four hour spelunking cave tour. The entire time we camped in tents, making the experience of being completely in nature even more meaningful.
Israel (2022)
A few years ago, I traveled to Israel with my family and spent over a week exploring the country. I was amazed with how diverse the landscape was given it is such a small country. One highlight of the trip was camping in the Judaean Desert for one night and waking up early to hike up Masada, a mountain overlooking the Dead Sea, to watch the sunrise. The whole trip I felt connected to the country because many of my family members have spent time in Israel.
Rome, Italy (2022)
Since I am part Italian, I spent a few days with my family exploring the amazing city of Rome. I was struck with how beautiful the city was, and how different the atmosphere was from anywhere I had been before. Between the fresh pasta, pizza, and gelato, the food was definitely a highlight of our trip.
Camping Trip (2019)
For my first camping trip, my family flew to Las Vegas and then spent two weeks exploring Utah and Arizona. We went to four National Parks: Zion, Arches, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon, tent camping for a few nights at each one. I was struck with how the landscapes were not only very different from anything I had seen before, but how they were so distinctive from each other even though they are close together.
