As Peace Corps North Macedonia celebrates its 30th anniversary this June 2026, I find myself reflecting on my time serving there and the unexpected path it set me on.
After graduating from the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Media Studies, I felt uncertain about what direction to take next - a feeling many twenty-somethings know well. The clearest thing in my heart was a desire to make a difference, teach children, and create meaningful connection. So I chose curiosity over certainty, leaving everyone I called home, boarding my first international flight, and stepping into a country where I didn't know the language or what was waiting for me. While immersing myself in a new culture, I launched an English language learning program in film and drama for 5th to 8th graders. The transition from college life to Eastern European life was both exhilarating and overwhelming, filled with moments of wonder, loneliness, courage, and growth.
Along the way, I carried this tiny metallic pink point-and-shoot camera everywhere I went. Not because I had a business. Not because I had a plan. But because I was curious about people, their stories, and preserving feelings I didn't yet have words for. This graduation gift from my godmother was something I never imagined would one day hold so much meaning.
While snapping photos, I was drawn to the moments that felt significant, the ones that made me pause in awe and feel alive, even before I understood what they were teaching me.
The Peace Corps became so much more than a season of wandering and service. It became a season of self-discovery. Through the people I met and the places I explored, I started to see the world differently. And somewhere along the way, my photography shifted from a hobby to finding purpose through it.
Upon my return to the United States, the spark of curiosity eventually became a deeper calling of service behind the lens. As I continued saying yes to adventure, giving back, and storytelling, I had the incredible opportunity to travel on assignment documenting and guiding youth service-learning trips around the globe with Walking Tree Travel, Global Works Travel, and BuildOn. With a camera in hand and students by my side, I zip-lined through the forests of Costa Rica, walked among the ancient Mayan Ruins of Tikal in Guatemala, visited a hilltop castle in Southern France, felt pure passion from flamenco dancers in Spain, and built foundations of three schools in solidarity with communities in Haiti and Malawi. Through each journey, I witnessed a simple truth. No matter where we come from or where life takes us, we all want the same thing - to feel part of something greater than ourselves.
After traveling with purpose, taking action, and being in discovery, I learned that life is ultimately about awakening the power of the heart. It's about sharing your gift with others. It's about genuine human connection, belonging, and the people who make us feel at home. Because home isn't simply a place. It's where our whole heart is held with care.
Since becoming a mom, I understand this truth in a deeper way now. Nearly 20 years after the Peace Corps, I put a pause on a life of international service and adventure to build a cherished family life back where it all began - the Bay Area of California. In many ways, I realized I wasn't leaving my purpose behind. I was bringing it home for my son. Because he has my whole heart, and I have his.
Today, as a Bay Area family photographer, I help mothers and their children feel seen, celebrated, and deeply connected while honoring what makes their family uniquely their own. In many ways, my work is rooted in giving others a gift my inner child once wished for: tangible proof of being loved and of a life well loved. Photographs that feel like home.
Looking back, it's incredible to think that this chapter began with a metallic pink camera and a collection of imperfect travel snapshots from my Peace Corps days that I had nearly forgotten about.
They remind me that sometimes the thing meant for you begins quietly. A pull you can't explain, an act of noticing, a small interest, a path that reveals itself one step at a time. If you're standing at a crossroads yourself, I hope the read encourages you to trust what's in your heart.
Seeing these images again has brought back such a flood of memories and gratitude. Thank you for taking this walk down memory lane with me.
USF Magazine, my alma mater, featured the beginning of my Peace Corps journey in a story titled “They Went Forth.” It was published earlier this week.
What’s something you once did “just for fun” that ended up changing your life?
