Update:

I reached my goal! Wahoo! No pressure to donate, but I have upped my goal to my family's lucky number :)

If you've followed my dad on social media since before I was born, or even if you just started reading his stuff recently, you’re probably aware of who I am, but if not… Hi, I'm Ally, and I’m a 20-year-old junior at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA, double-majoring in English / Creative Writing and Sociology, with a minor in Social Justice. In addition to being on the Dean’s List, I’m also on the rock climbing team, and I serve as the vice-chair of a domestic violence prevention organization called the Survivor Support Collective.

Since I was four years old and became enamored with the Eiffel Tower, I’ve wanted to visit Europe, and in spring of 2026, this dream will finally come true: from January to May, I will be living and studying in London through the program CEA CAPA. While I’m there, I want to explore as much of Europe as I can, but… Well, given that my father is a full-time freelance writer and my mother is a behavior technician for an independent ABA clinic, there are certain financial limitations to that plan.

I’ve received scholarships from my university, worked as a kindergarten teacher this past summer and saved over half of every paycheck for my London savings, and I’m currently working as both an orientation leader and a writing tutor on campus this fall in order to save money for next semester. When I’m in London, I want to make the most of my time not only in the UK but elsewhere in Europe, since the cost of flights are (relatively) inexpensive…and that’s where you come in.

I’d be happy with as little as a virtual high five for making it this far in my educational journey. I’ll also happily accept words of advice or suggestions for places you’d like me to check out while I’m in London. But because I know so many of you have supported me and my endeavors over these first 20 years of my existence, I’ve decided to also do a GoFundMe for my trip. I’ve tried to live my best life up to this point - I think my parents have documented this pretty well - and I want to continue doing so while I’m in the UK and elsewhere. If you’d like to help on this front, that would be amazing.

Please don’t feel obligated to contribute financially, of course. I’m sure it will be an amazing trip no matter what my budget ends up being. But if you do, rest assured that I will be sharing my journey online, with Facebook and Instagram posts about my adventures during my first trip overseas, so you’ll at least be paid back by being able to live vicariously through my experiences!