And Now a Word on Voting Safety

I know you all have been voting rigorously these past few days so I thought I should take a moment to address a very important issue...voting safety. As always my top concern is a safe and enjoyable experience for all of my voters. Please take a moment to watch this brief safety demo before proceeding to my Oprah audtion link.

SAFETY FIRST!

Now View and Vote for My Audition!

Cuye Wrangling in Peru

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Over spring break this year, I took a trip to Cuzco, Peru with a group of students from the University of Cincinnati. The trip was organized by the service organization on campus, Serve Beyond Cincinnati. I'd been on two previous trips to El Salvador with this group and had come to love these trips more than any of the others, not only because the trips provide us the opportunity to help others but also because they afford us the chance to really dive into the culture and get to know the local people and traditions.  While we were in Peru, we worked with the organization Hampy and were tasked with helping to build a classroom and water purification system for a community destroyed by recent flooding.

Before we got started on our own work, our group leaders from Hampy took us to see the project they had just completed. Working in an area of Cuzco known as Chocco, Hampy volunteers had helped youth in the community develop micro-businesses that could help bring steady work and income to the people there. One of the businesses we were able to see was the community's new cuye farm. Cuyes, or guinea pigs as we know them, are an important food source for people in Peru. Many, including our host mom, even have cages of cuyes at their own homes!

Click here to see our trip to the cuye farm!

Fun Fact: Peruvians consume an estimated 65 million guinea pigs each year, and the animal is so entrenched in the culture that one famous painting of the Last Supper in the main cathedral in Cuzco shows Christ and the twelve disciples dining on guinea pig.

 *Special thanks to my on camera cuye wrangler, Mark Schutte : )

Tour Guiding Through Madrid

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The next trip of the year was to Madrid, Spain. Five co-ops, including myself,  headed straight for the aiport after work one Friday afternoon in February. Again, we had no plans laid out for our trip once we arrived. Instead we opted to purchase a one day train pass and discover the city one subway stop at a time. Since our trip would last us less than 24 hours we felt no need to get a hotel room. Our plan? Explore the historical and noteworthy points of  the city by day and party like true club-going Europeans all night.  
Follow this link to see how our trip ended up:
Tour Guiding Through Madrid

Lesson of the Trip: Music truly is the universal language. When we were at the club I found myself surrounded by a group of Spanish college kids. We were struggling through a conversation in Spanglish when one of them asked what kind of music I liked. I replied, Lady Gaga- throwing up the claw for emphasis.  That was enough to break us all into a rendition of Poker Face. It was the connection that broke through all language barriers. That was one of the coolest moments.

My First Travel Video

Well friends,  if my burning passion to win this competition isn't enough to convince you to vote, maybe this video will help sway you in the right direction.  A few months ago I decided to get a start on pursuing my dream by documenting some of my journeys. This video was taken on a one day trip to Ft. Myers this January. With no plans other than to soak up the sun, a friend and I hopped on a plane to to the Florida coast.  When we arrived, we had to quickly devise a plan to get from the airport to the beach without having to dish out money for a taxi. What did we do? Hitch a ride with strangers of course! To meet the gracious couple that drove us to the beach and the fun characters we encountered once we arrived watch the video link below!

Ft. Myers Florida

Special thanks to my co-host and cameraman E-Geezy. Apologies for his filming skills-don't forget this was our very first  attempt at a  video!

Lesson of the trip: Be flexible with your travels plans and don't be afraid to ask locals for help. Chances are you'll end up saving money and having a much better story to tell in the end.

CLICK HERE TO GIVE ME MY OWN SHOW

Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star: Your OWN Show

Oprah and reality TV super producer Mark Burnett (SurvivorTM & The ApprenticeTM) are joining forces in search of the next big TV star. Contestants are invited to post a 3 minutes audition tape on Oprah.com. The 5 contestants whose submissions score the most votes will be invited to participate in a reality TV show to compete for the top prize.


I have two loves in life: Oprah and traveling. For as long as I can remember my dream job has been to combine these two loves and host a TV show where I take audiences around the world and introduce them to the wonders of traveling. It is something I’ve always semi-joked about but in all reality it is the only job I can imagine myself happy doing. Well, it seems like someone’s been listening to my prayers, because May 14th Oprah announced that she was kicking off this competition.

The contestants currently in the lead are already nearing 1 million votes so I have a lot of catching up to do if I want to have a chance in this competition. I am trying to reach out to as many people as possible for support which is what leads me to you. I need your votes!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND VOTE FOR MY VIDEO


Voting last now through July 3rd.

There is NO LIMIT to how many times you can vote so click that Vote button AS MANY TIMES AS POSSIBLE. Also, please forward this to any and EVERYONE you know.

Your support is greatly appreciated!