Rooted in service. Driven by purpose.

Hi, I’m Lily.

Right now I’m serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in North Macedonia, and this space is where I’m trying to keep track of what this season feels like while I’m inside it. Some days feel ordinary. Some feel unexpectedly important. Most fall somewhere in between. Writing helps me notice the difference.

I’ve always been someone who likes being part of things—teams, communities, conversations, shared projects, shared meals. I don’t think I realized how much that shaped me until I started moving farther from home and had to learn how to build that feeling again in new places.

This blog is my way of keeping people close while I do that.

Where I’m From

I grew up the kind of kid who signed up for everything—sports teams, student events, church volunteering, anything that meant showing up alongside other people. Saint Patrick’s School gave me space to lead early, but more than that, it gave me the feeling that my voice mattered in a room. That stayed with me.

And every summer, like clockwork, you could find me and my siblings in the pool from morning until dinner. Sunburned shoulders, wet hair, someone always laughing too loud. It was the kind of childhood where being together was the default.

That’s where I first learned what community actually feels like—not something formal or impressive, just people choosing each other over and over again.

When I moved to Florida at fifteen, I had to learn how to carry that feeling with me instead of expecting it to already exist. I didn’t know it then, but that was the beginning of understanding that home isn’t always a place. Sometimes it’s something you build.

What I Believe

I believe leadership starts with listening.

I believe home is something you carry with you.

I believe small things—a handwritten note, a shared meal, an honest conversation—matter more than they seem like they should.

I believe policy should stay close to people’s real lives.

And I believe curiosity and kindness make almost everything easier to understand.

The Journey So Far

Before the Peace Corps, I worked in nonprofit development and community engagement. Most of my work was about helping people feel connected to something bigger than themselves—sometimes through fundraising, sometimes through storytelling, sometimes just by bringing the right people into the same room.

Most recently I worked at a Chamber of Commerce supporting small businesses and local leaders. I loved watching what happened when people started to see themselves as part of the same story instead of separate ones.

When the opportunity to serve in the Peace Corps came along, it felt familiar in a way I didn’t expect. Like something I had been moving toward for a long time without naming it yet.

So I said yes to learning a new language.
Yes to starting over somewhere new.
Yes to seeing what would happen if I followed my values a little farther than before.

I’m still figuring out what this chapter means. That’s part of why I’m writing.

Why I Write

I write to process things while they’re still happening.

To remember the details I’d otherwise move past too quickly.

To make sense of what it means to live somewhere new and still feel like yourself.

Some posts here are about service. Some are about everyday life in North Macedonia. Some are just moments I don’t want to forget later.

Mostly, this space helps me pay attention to what this season is changing in me while I’m living it.

Let’s Keep in Touch

If something here feels familiar to you—whether you’re thinking about service yourself, building community somewhere new, or just trying to live a little more intentionally where you already are—I’m really glad you found your way here.

With heart,