Emily Grund's Miscellaneous Blog

Hi! I’m Emily Grund, a college grad about to begin an adventure as a Teacher of English Language Fluency Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines starting August 19.  I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BA in Journalism May 15, 2010 and was chosen as the student speaker for commencement which was an honor and very scary but fun too!  I chose journalism due to my passion for writing and curiosity in the world around me. I also have a passion for photography that sparked from a travel writing and photojournalism class at UMass which then led to a photography internship at Gloucester Daily Times in Gloucester, Massachusetts. I also held other internships at Capital Community News in Wellington, New Zealand, FamilyFun Magazine in Northampton, Massachusetts, The Castle Group in Boston and GoNOMAD.com in South Deerfield. At UMass, I stayed involved with the journalism department by becoming a teaching assistant for Multimedia Journalism and Travel Writing and Photography.

Ever since my first travel experiences, I became an avid traveler and adventurer. In 2005, after graduating from Rockport High School in Rockport, Massachusetts, I took an interim year also commonly known as a “gap” year in between high school and college. I participated in a program called Global Routes where I traveled to Thailand and taught English, lived with a host family, and explored the culture and country with my group. Next I went to New Zealand where I held my first journalism internship and lived with a community of other travelers in Wellington. Finally, I made my last stop in Sydney, Australia to visit friends, explore the city, and skydive. I have also traveled to France, Mexico, Canada, and Sicily and have partaken in other adventurous activities such as parasailing, rock climbing, snorkeling, surfing, and hiking.

So with all that being said, applying for the Peace Corps was right up my alley! I am so excited for this next adventure and plan on using this blog to share my experiences. Originally, I started this blog for several journalism classes that required me to have one, so it’s a mixed bag of what you will find here before I start writing while abroad.

Disclaimer: The content of this blog is mine and does not represent the positions, views or intents of the U.S. Government, or the United States Peace Corps.