About Me
Oh hey! My name is Farrah (yes, like Farrah Fawcett). Feminist, social worker, cat mom, ENFP, and lover of good wine, I'm a twenty-something small town girl living my life full of passion and love Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
My passion for travel started when I was young, and my dad would take my brother and I camping as often as possible. My piano teacher would also arrange group trips from time to time, and I would raise money to be able to see Chicago, Toronto, Baltimore, and Boston. The summer after my freshman year, my boyfriend at the time and I lived in a pop-up camper in Colorado…because, why not, right?
On a whim in 2011, I decided to apply to study abroad with Semester at Sea. After working seven days a week all summer and applying to countless scholarships, I found myself on the MV Explorer circumnavigating the globe. Semester at Sea took me to countries all over Africa, Asia, and Central America, where I hung out with locals, volunteered, experienced new environments, ate different food, shaved my head, and made some of my best friends. But it also made me face extreme poverty, trafficking, oppression, and gender violence head on. After seeing a little girl eat eggshells from my lunch, I vowed that I would do something. My career goals shifted from Broadway actress to advocate that day.
I was awarded my Master of Science of Social Work degree at Columbia University in 2017. My focus is direct practice and programming in the areas of anti-trafficking, women’s rights, anti-violence, and alternatives to incarceration. Every day I love going to work and working alongside brilliant and resilient women. My job is to listen, advocate, and empower.
I believe that my passions for travel and social justice are linked. Sharing the stories of others around the globe and their environments is important in our shared humanity. I firmly believe that everyone has a lived experience worthy of sharing, and during a time when fear is perpetuating hate towards others who are different, these stories are even more important.
I am so excited and privileged to be able to share these stories—along with my own personal experiences, travel tips, and itineraries—with you here on This Beautiful Journey. If you want to know more, feel free to contact me, or check out my extensive travel bucket list and (due to reader demand) my own answers to the questions I ask others in my Backpacker Buddies series.
All the love,
Farrah ♥
All the love,
Farrah ♥