International Friends Profile-Leslie from West Virginia

 Hello, today I am happy to post my latest in a series of International Friends profiles! Leslie was photographed in Gulfport, Florida an interesting little town on the water with a variety of colorful boutiques and restaurants. We had a great time wandering around the town and found some fantastic backgrounds as you will see! And now Leslie will tell you about herself:

I was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, and am a descendant of English, German, Irish, and Scottish immigrants. My travels began at the age of 6 months, when I first left the US for a trip to Canada. By the time I turned 11 I had traveled to 7 countries. I've always been taught to love and respect other cultures, and have now visited parts of 5 different continents. 

Throughout school I focused on sciences and languages, and had taken 6 years of French and 3 years of Latin by the end of high school. In college, I studied Biology and French, and then went on to become a physician. I completed my medical training in 2005, and have been practicing medicine since then. I truly enjoy treating patients from all parts of the world, and talking with them about their lives and travels. I also love providing counseling and medication in the realm of travel medicine (immunizations, medications, etc required for travel).

My next career move is to begin working at the Pinellas County Health Department in St. Pete. I hope to continue a career in public health from there, and eventually move on to international medicine, so that I can treat patients in all parts of the world.

I moved to the Tampa area in 2006, and have two amazing sons, Jamie (5) and Sam (3). They are each 25% Dutch, 25% Croatian, and 50% me (English/German/Irish/Scottish!). Both boys are already amazing travelers, who I know will grow up to be my best travel companions. They are already beginning to learn some Spanish and French. I can't wait to see how they develop as citizens of not just the US, but of the world!

Becoming a member of International Friends has allowed me to meet so many interesting and wonderful people, many of which have become some of the best friends I've ever had. I'm so glad I joined!

Thank you so much Leslie!

I had a great time photographing Leslie. She is friendly, kind, and funny- the evidence of which you can see here in this last photo. My next International Friends Profile will be of Al who is originally from New York. Look for that in the next week!