Welcome!

If you're reading this, that probably means you either care about who I am and what I'm doing with my life, or you got lost in blog-land.  If the latter is true, I hope you find some inspiration and excitement here. If the former is true, thanks for stopping by!
First, a little about me:
I'm originally from Muskego, WI, a suburb of Milwaukee, and I attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for international business.  Outside of school, I have been involved with the Girl Scouts of WI since kindergarten.  Through a mentor and friend, I found out about a great opportunity to continue my work in the non-profit world - an apprenticeship called Public Allies, which is an AmeriCorps program.
A little about Public Allies and AmeriCorps:
AmeriCorps is sometimes described as a domestic Peace Corps.  It's easiest to think of Public Allies as a "branch" of the AmeriCorps "tree".  Most likely, if you've heard of AmeriCorps, you've heard of Vista - that's another branch of the tree.  As an apprentice through Public Allies, I dedicate 10 months of service to a non-profit in a major city to build connections, boost my resume, and gain experience in the non-profit world.  There are 49 of us placed in the Chicago area, and we all come together once a week for training revolving around working in non-profit organizations.  I am placed at DuPage Habitat for Humanity.
A little about DuPage Habitat for Humanity:
Habitat for Humanity is a world-wide organization with affiliates in many different areas.  There are 8 affiliates in the Chicago area, and I am placed in DuPage county.  Contrary to popular belief, Habitat doesn't just give away free homes to people who need them.  People who qualify for a Habitat home must be a citizen who lives or works in DuPage county, they must demonstrate a need for housing (their home is overcrowded, unsafe, or not accessible), they must have a steady income, show good credit, have no bankruptcies for the last 3 years, and be willing to enter into a 30 year partnership with Habitat.  Once they meet these requirements, they put in 250 hours of "sweat equity" by working on their home or another partner family's home.  The people who become partner families work side-by-side with Habitat workers and volunteers, and they truly earn their homes.
So, welcome to this crazy ride.  Please stay tuned and come back often to read stories, hear some info about AmeriCorps and Habitat training, and hear about how I'm spending my time in the city and suburbs.