In 2021, I received grant funding from the Penn State College of Liberal Arts to take a gap semester from my studies to hike the Appalachian Trail. My trip lasted just over three and a half months from February 27 to June 20. I walked from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine: a total of 2190 miles.
During this time, I camped in the woods, hitch hiked in the back of pickup trucks, hiked through days of rain, was diagnosed with trench foot, hiked between 20-30 miles every day, and lost half of my toenails as I trekked north.
I used the experience to inform my undergraduate honors thesis in English. During my senior year, I composed a memoir about the journey. The project was named Runner Up to Best Honors Thesis in the Humanities by Penn State University when I graduated in 2022.
I was asked by the Paterno Fellows program to speak about my thesis at the Honors Liberal Arts commencement ceremony (pictured to the right).
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