For the first half of 2019, the CM team has collectively traveled to 45 different locations across the U.S., spending over 70 days working with communities that inspire and drive us to do this work. We wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past 6 months, in anticipation of a summer full of travel:

Elizabeth – Travel for me in 2019 started slow and quickly picked up steam. I have been to Wisconsin, Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago, Seattle, Anchorage, Nashville, Denver and New Orleans. And I snuck in Peru with Rachele (pictured above). I hope I didn’t miss anything! I am looking forward to many trips in the latter half of the year.

London and family camping in MN on the bluffs of the Mississippi River

London – While I have traveled to Maryland, Costa Rica, and various midwestern campgrounds thus far, the place I have been frequenting most away from my home in Minnesota is Denver, CO. Some CM team members have joked I should move there. I certainly enjoy our work there. Still, I’m staying put for now. Minnesota isn’t done with me (or I’m not done with it).

Karla – The first half of the year has been relatively quiet, but I am looking forward to the LEEAD Symposium and Reception in Baltimore, Maryland in September! My family and I are also planning a week-long vacation to Miami, Florida in October, which I am super excited about because it’s been over two years since our last vacation.

Shannon – Travel for me is a way of life. I have been to the east coast (Maryland; Washington, DC; Pennsylvania; Maine; and North Carolina) and traveled through the midwest (Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota) multiple times since the beginning of the year. My favorite is my homelands of Minnesota and Ontario. I am anticipating some travel for work in the autumn season and more exciting is the travel to Ireland with my sister to explore the island of some ancestors.

Rachele and colleagues at the Evaluator Roundtable in Minnetonka, MN

Rachele – The first half of 2019 included a nice mixture of Colorado and out of state travel for personal, work, and college tours (yes, that has started for my eldest son!). Some of my work-related travel destinations included Las Vegas, NV; Minnetoka, MN (during a snow blizzard); Chicago, IL; Seattle, WA; and a variety of beautiful rural and urban cities in Colorado. My big adventure of the year was a girls’ trip to Peru, including Machu Picchu (pictured above), to celebrate a big birthday for me. It was awe-inspiring!

Suganya – Travel for the first half of 2019 has been less than in past years with intention – I wanted to stay closer to home. Where I have gone for work have been Washington, DC; Reno, NV; Baltimore, MD; and Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands in the Pacific Region. I’ve also visited family in Syracuse, NY.

Tennille – I am a person who loves to travel but mom life has slowed down my travels a bit. For 2019 I have traveled back home to New York City and to Baja California, Mexico.

Alina’s road trip through the Four Corners

Alina – Most of my work travel has been within the state of Colorado (lucky me!). Through our work, I’ve visited Parachute (accidentally stumbling into a stone quarry), Sheridan, Antonito, and Saguache. All beautiful places filled with wonderful people. I recently went on an extended weekend road trip traveling nearly 2000 miles through the Four Corner states; stargazing at Arches, climbing into the Grand Canyon, exploring Santa Fe, and sandboarding down the Great Sand Dunes.

Kazzy – While I have not traveled yet for Change Matrix, I have been fortunate enough to in the past six months to visit friends across the states. For my birthday in February, I visited my best friend in Atlanta and was connected to great dancing spaces. A couple months later, I was also able to visit some old friends I taught with in Austin. Reconnecting with people who changed the way I approached my activism was extremely refreshing and was exactly what I needed before jumping on with Change Matrix!

Alice – Every year I make it a mission to see my best friend who lives in South Korea, and this year was no different. In March, I was able to visit my best friend in S. Korea for a week. I had amazing street food, went to adorable cafes, and did A LOT of shopping.

Picture of Lake Atitlan (from Wikipedia)

Kristin – I was fortunate enough to take a long visit back to Guatemala, where I lived for three years. One of my dearest friends was married on Lake Atitlan, I visited several coffee producer cooperatives, and climbed some incredible volcanic mountains. Otherwise, I have been loving the Colorado mountains this summer – despite the avalanche damage everywhere and the extremely roaring rivers from all the snowmelt!

Sandra – I was able to make several trips to Washington, DC and attended a friend’s wedding in Virginia. I’ve loved being able to explore my state of Colorado, for work and fun, spending time in mountain towns and the valley. I had a brief escape from winter and took a girls’ trip to Puerto Rico with good friends, where we enjoyed beach time and delicious cuisine! In my longest work trip so far, I drove 900 miles through Minnesota and Wisconsin, visiting Minneapolis, Duluth, Ashland, Milwaukee, Adams, and Madison.