I'm afraid of flying. I don't understand how several tons of metal can stay in the air when a sheet of paper folded into a similar shape will stay in flight for no more than a few seconds. And I don’t think that knowing the mechanics behind it would make me feel better anyway. I don't like the tiny seats, and I don't like the recycled air. Neither taking off nor landing thrill me. And I think if I were meant to fly, I'd have been given wings with which to do so.

But I don't let this hold me back. While I've never liked flying and likely never will, I never allow fear of anything to prevent me from doing that which I want to do. While I've lived in or near Philadelphia for my 20 odd years of existence, I've gone to visit San Francisco (because I wanted to see, in person, if the Golden Gate is as wonderful to me as the Ben Franklin Bridge; it's not). I've been to London over New Years and learned that while we're all gathered around the TV watching the ball drop in Times Square, Londoners are all sitting around their radios and with their heads out the window listening for the chimes of Big Ben to ring off twelve majestic peals. I was in Dublin for St. Patrick's Day and bought green socks that said "Luck of the Irish" at a great store called "The Sock Shop" that sells nothing other than … you guessed it … socks. And I went to Madrid and found out that all of those hours of conjugating verbs in high school were, in fact, hours well spent.

I have fear, I'll be the first to admit it, but I won't let it prevent me from trying new things … like learning, like growing. When I graduated from Penn State, I was nervous about how well I would transition from college life to the real world. It wasn't always the easiest transition ("You mean you have to pay for them to send you a car registration sticker!?!"). As time has passed, it's all gotten a lot easier, and I owe a large part of that to DEETER. First off, my favorite thing about college – the learning – hasn't had to come to a stop. I learn a lot everyday, whether it's finding out about a new client or learning how to use my writing skills to create a new promotional tool.

Because I like my job so much, I don't dread coming to work, and I can enjoy the time when I'm at home. I have time for the hobbies I love: knitting and crocheting, drinking tea, hiking and kayaking, reading, watching any kind of movie, and trying to learn how to play my guitar. And I'm still always planning trips … everything from weekend road trips back up to Penn State to visiting a friend in Berlin. Who knows where life and DEETER will send me next.