Photo by Jaime Montemayor.

Be it through digital media, Argentine tango, or interdisciplinary studies, I seek connections. Discovering unexpected connections is crucial to solving the complex problems of today’s world. And the feeling of connection – to self, community, and the planet – can drive us to make changes large and small in our lives and the lives of others. I’m pursuing an M.A. through Georgetown University’s Communication, Culture & Technology program to learn to better identify, explore, and facilitate these connections.

When I’m not learning about communication, culture, and technology at Georgetown, I’m learning about it in my job with the Bedsider program of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, where I create digital media content to engage and educate Bedsider’s target audience of young adults. Being part of the Bedsider program has allowed me to put behavior change theory and social marketing principles into practice. There are so many layers of beliefs and assumptions about sex to sift through that it can be challenging to create useful resources that will resonate with the people who need them most. Bedsider addresses this challenge in a range of ways, using humor, social media outreach, and the experiences of real people – often in their own words – to communicate about birth control and sexual health.

I lived in Montevideo, Uruguay, for two years teaching English, learning Spanish, and dancing tango before joining The National Campaign. Nearly 10 years after my first tango class, I’m astonished by how much I continue to learn from this ever-evolving social dance. Teaching and dancing tango connects me to my local community, the international tango community, historical and contemporary culture, and my own senses.

In the years after graduating from Goucher College with a B.A. in English Literature and before moving to Montevideo, I went many places and wore many hats, taking a road trip across the United States, teaching English in Prague, Czech Republic, and working in jobs ranging from legal assistant to face painter to barista. This winding path has facilitated some unexpected connections so far – I look forward to the many more still to be discovered. Check out my CV for more detail.

Alas, this little sweetie doesn’t belong to me, but I get to visit him a lot. (Image by Yulia Kriskovets.)