The study of history continually reaffirms that our circumstances and societal prejudices color our reading of facts. We can often argue the other side, highlight and shade aspects of the “truth,” and ultimately make a case for two completely different historical readings of the same situation. While a devoted historian presumably seeks to find the “truest true,” there is always room for re-interpretation. This re-interpretation is why I love history. I believe that it is also why I will love the study, and ultimately the practice, of law —it’s a living thing to be interpreted, debated, and critically considered from all sides.

This same passion has also challenged me to grapple with my own “true” facts. As a child that moved around a lot— 12 houses, 4 apartments, 1 back-room, and 1 motel by my last count — I was practically destined to explore myself through travel. My first major solo venture came in the summer of 2010 in Galway, Ireland. After the completion of a summer course, I purchased a bicycle and a heavily waterproofed, single-man tent and began a solo-cycling trip up the west coast of Ireland. After crossing over to Belfast, I ferried to northern Scotland and cycled my way down to England. My goal? Be as alone as possible and sit with just myself. No agenda, just myself.

That month of camping and cycling gave me the confidence nearly two years later to pursue another solo trip - less extreme in form, but more intense in duration and location. Two weeks after graduation, I flew from Los Angeles to Seville to begin a largely unplanned four-month backpacking trip through Morocco, Western Europe, the Baltics, and the Balkans.

In Portugal I experienced my first naturist lodge when I picked up a two-week job at the Quinta da Horta in the small coastal fishing town of Ferragudo. Not more than a week after leaving Portugal, I worked another job in Granada, Spain at a small, family-run hostel. Taking the time to live and work with locals in an environment that also exposed me to other international travelers, sparked much of the inspiration for the rest of my trip. For example, while working at Quinta da Horta, I met a group of Estonian naturist yogis who convinced me to later continue my trip east and through the Baltics to their home country. Interactions like these shaped my largely unplanned travels.

My ability to place myself in an unfamiliar context and thrive is unforced; it is a skill that I honed naturally as a child through constant movement. Just as my love for history comes from the ability to argue different sides of one issue, so too does my love for travel. Foreign contexts create the opportunity to re-interpret our own opinions and biases. As a Michigan law student I hope to help foster in my peers the sense that such debate can strengthen a community. I hope to be challenged and challenge others, continually pushing for the questioning of our biases.