Don't just go, LEAD!

        Amanda Miro was the epitome of cool. She and her sister, Fran, created my very first perception of college girls with their ADPi t-shirts and GSU baseball hats. When Amanda left "The Boro" one summer to study fashion in London, I put her on the same level as Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City: She was "going out with the girls" in Europe and conquering the world as an independent woman, classy and fabulous. My sister, Loree Anne, followed her footsteps by studying abroad in Greece last summer. At the impressionable age of 10, I wanted to be just like them. At the unstoppable age of 19, I still do.

        I now have my own collection of ADPi t-shirts and UGA baseball hats to rival my cousins' glory days. Once exams are over, I will pack my college girl wardrobe into my cheetah-print suitcase, marked by a Global L.E.A.D. luggage tag and destined for Cape Town, South Africa. My best friend from Lakeview Academy's unforgettable class of 2009, Mary London Carswell, has inspired me to blog about my adventures. If you get a chance, you should read her blog. It's almost as awesome as she is.

        I will be traveling with Global L.E.A.D., the same program my parents trusted to take their oldest daughter to Greece in the midst of the country's political riots and economic turmoil. The program staff is one-of-a-kind, and I can't wait to be around amazing and exciting people from all across the SEC for five weeks.

        This is my first blog, so please bear with me as I learn and work through the process. I've used Tom Petty lyrics as my foundation because that is what I'm seeking on this South African journey: the keen sense of being alive, the release of pent-up anger and heartache, and the freedom to fully experience and enjoy each moment this crazy wonderful life has to offer.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” -Thornton Wilder

 

Fran & Amanda: my college life inspiration
Publix Georgia Half-Marathon {3.20.11}

Mary London: my blogging inspiration
Birmingham visit {2.19.11}

Loree Anne: my Global L.E.A.D. inspiration
Georgia @ South Carolina {9.11.10}



Cape Town, South Africa: my unknown inspiration
Home sweet home {5.14.11 - 6.20.11}