Meet the Members Monday- Paige A

My name is Paige Allen, I am 25 years old and am married to Thomas Allen who is an MS2 prior service in the Navy. We recently got married this past December in St. Lucia, so we are still enjoying our ‘newlywed’ status! Tom and I are both from Boise, Idaho where we met in 2008 when we were attending Boise State University for our undergraduate degrees. He returned to Boise after his 5 year enlistment of being a corpsman stationed in Bridgeport after being deployed twice.

Since receiving my undergraduate degree in Anthropology, I have lived in Colombia, worked at the U.S. Embassy in Brazil, and worked briefly in India for a United Nations entity. After, I completed two Master’s degrees at Seton Hall: an M.A. in Diplomacy and International Relations and M.A. of Public Administration. After graduate school I went to Iraq for a year to work on my Master’s thesis work and open the Civil Society Development Institute.  Needless to say, my spouse was quite patient during my travels and we decided it was time for me to come to D.C. and actually be an ‘in person’ partner! I have now been in D.C. since last June and have been doing international development consultation work. Since being in D.C., I have also been named editor of a magazine called Terms of Reference that features stories of international and humanitarian aid workers around the globe. Through these travels I have learned to speak Spanish, French, Portuguese and Kurdish.

 

Tom and I have bonded over shared hobbies such as triathlon training (swimming, biking, and running), hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking, cooking, backpacking and any new adventures. We also share a love for travel that we try to fulfill at every chance possible whether it is road trips to other states or trips across the globe.

While Tom has been gone on rotations, I have been staying busy(er) by helping organize the Wounded Warrior Run and making amazing friends through the SSC!