Brandt Ayoub

My name is Brandt Ayoub, and I am a 21- year old Junior at Alma College in small town Alma, Michigan.  I am studying English and Spanish to be a secondary education teacher.  As assumed from my career choice, I enjoy working with kids.   But in my free time, I love to spend time outdoors: backpacking, biking, canoeing, slack-lining, and camping. 

First and foremost, my family and my faith are of extreme importance to me.  I have both an older and a younger sister, and some of my most fond memories are of growing up together on my family’s small farm—building tree forts, bike riding into town (a mere 7 miles), exploring our woods , and playing Cops and Robbers.  My parents instilled in us the importance of exposure to diversity, and have taken us on camping adventures across the entire country; I’ve now visited 42 states.

On my campus, I am very involved with the local Big Brothers Big Sisters non-profit organization.  In addition to being matched with a “Little Brother,” I work in the office to help recruit college students to volunteer.  I also coordinate a few of the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters fundraisers, and I enjoy setting—and trying to reach—fundraising goals.  I am also a Resident Assistant in my hall and a leader for a men’s Bible study.  This Bible study is a huge part of my life!

Upon graduation, I hope to participate in the Teach for America program.  My summer job the past two years as a camp counselor in California confirmed my love of working with youth.  My major is Secondary Education, but I hope to teach middle school.  While the thought of controlling a room of up to thirty rowdy middle-schoolers is daunting, being a camp counselor helped me realize the fun and rewards of working with such age groups.   I recently began volunteering for a church close to my college to help with their 5th and 6th grade youth group, and this experience helps me realize just how fulfilling it is take a role in a child’s life.

The summer prior to my senior year in high school, I went on a mission trip to North Dakota and built homes for an impoverished community.  It was then where I realized how fortunate I am to have a home, a stable life, and food at mealtimes.  Since then, due to my work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, I interact weekly with people who are threatened by eviction, do not own a home, are faced with job loss, or cannot afford heat in the winter.  I live in a small town, and realize that if housing in such a rural area is such a concern, how extreme must this issue be nation-wide? 

Bike and Build is a prime opportunity for me to make a difference, while at the same time pursuing my love of the outdoors and quest for adventure.  I hope to be exposed to a plethora of lifestyles, meet a variety of new people, and gain an even greater appreciation for my life which I so often take for granted by participating in the group build projects.  I’ve always wanted to road trip across the entire continent, but cannot imagine a better way to see this beautiful country than from behind the handlebars.