A Proper Introduction

It's about time for this blog to become a more hands-on and personal project. And for that to actually happen I feel as though I should give a few more details about my life. I'm a 22-year-old, native Angeleno who grew up surfing and riding horses--both at competitive levels. Around the age of 14 I reached a point where I had to choose one sport to take seriously and had to drop the other completely. Although I loved both equally, riding was an expensive sport while surfing, on the other hand, offered sponsorships and modeling contracts. So I went with surfing. By the time I was 18 I had won a few amateur titles, modeled in numerous advertisements, and started competing on the world tour. But I always knew I wanted a college education and when the opportunity to attend Yale presented itself, I accepted.



I graduated from Yale this past May of 2008 with a BA in history. I wrote my thesis on the history of sushi in post-World War II America. Yale is where I discovered my passion for food (both the history and its affects on the human body) along with my decision to become a vegan. My freshman year, homesick and depressed, I found my health failing. Instead of reading textbooks, I holed away in the library researching the possible causes of my ailments. I began finding numerous papers on the ill-affects of consuming dairy and various other animal products. As I started shunning these foods, I found my health drastically improving. Even to this day I notice how energized my body feels on a vegan diet, especially in the water when surfing. I'm not one to pressure others into adopting veganism. But I am more than happy to talk to interested parties about my own personal experiences.



Presently I have returned home to Los Angeles where I plan to spend the year surfing, traveling, cooking, reading, and developing careers in writing and acting. Perhaps law school is in the future. But only time will tell.


(My favorite vanilla pound cake from the fabulous cookbook Veganomicon)