Stephanie Ayoub

My name's Steph, and I'm a 2008 graduate of Missouri's College of the Ozarks.
My love of the outdoors and animals led me to attain a Bachelor's in Animal Science and Agriculture Business. As an Alumna of “Hard Work U,” College of the Ozark’s work-study program enabled me to graduate debt-free; the money I would have used for tuition is now in savings for the farm I hope to one day purchase. While still saving and gaining more practical experience, I am currently employed as a Calf Manager/Assistant Herdsman on the Hoard's Dairyman Farm in wintry Wisconsin.

People, animals, and the outdoors are the three greatest passions in my life. The eldest of three in a close-knit family, my siblings and I were raised on a hobby farm in rural Michigan. It is there I grew to fully comprehend the meanings of hard work, community service, and down-to-earth fun. Many of these values had their roots in my family's annual camping trips. According to Mom and Dad, they “only had ‘til we were 18” to show us the continent. I recollect many evenings of flashlight-less tent-pitching and cold BBQ; however, these thoughts are shadowed by some of the neat people we met and shared our BBQ with, the numerous places we saw, and the adventures we had. I have yet to quell this quest for adventure--a reason for becoming so intrigued at the potential Bike and Build opportunity.

In addition to travelling and enjoying its related adventures, service has also been a key component of my life. My parents stressed since I was young the importance of community service: I volunteered throughout middle and high school to bake cakes for the local senior center, be a youth leader for my church’s catechism classes, and conduct coat drives in college. Helping those in need is something that I feel strongly about.

My service and desire to help others led me to participate in a mission trip in college during which I was exposed to the issue of Alternative Housing. Post-Hurricane Katrina, 11 colleagues and I spent Thanksgiving Break in Jackson, Mississippi, working on a house owned by a Christian foundation. The Foundation’s mission was to place struggling inner-city families into one of their dozen houses—all located in safer parts of the city—and assist the family in a transition to a more stable financial, occupational, and spiritual state. Within six months the stabilized family moved to a safer home outside of the city, into homes found and made affordable through the Foundation’s negotiations.

This experience opened my eyes to the true poverty that is present right in the United States. With many missions focusing on the starving children in Africa, the desperation that fellow countrymen encounter daily is often overlooked—I am grateful to have had the opportunity to witness otherwise. As this experience occurred during a stable economy, I can only imagine the nationwide need for alternative housing now. Yet since graduation, I have not had the opportunity to participate in more service work associated with alternative housing. This is something that I am eager to participate in and learn more about.

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Boston to SB