Faces of FIUTS: Meet Lissy

Faces of FIUTS is a new campaign that collects personal stories from individuals who are part of our work. This week, meet Lissy!

Where are you from?
I grew up in Frankfurt, Germany, raised as a first-generation German to French and Austrian parents. I moved to the U.S. when I was 17 to study in a small Wisconsin High-School for a year, arriving with one suitcase, leaving everything familiar behind. Since then I have been addicted to learning about the world.

What's your FIUTS story?
FIUTS has enabled me to make friends from places I did not know existed, bringing me closer to understanding that we are essentially the same while celebrating our differences. Some of my best friends today were made at orientation camp, hiking a muddy trail to Mount Pilchuck, jet-lagged and absolutely soaked. The secret ingredients to making friends were revealed: sharing food, drinks, laughter and tears, stories to just keep us going. Making it back safely together is what makes the difference, regardless of where you are from.

How will you change the world?
My mission to change the world is to be fearless and to reduce ignorance. People are often afraid of the unknown. My implementation path is simple: Talking to strangers, asking for help, providing assistance whenever I can, learning and sharing the lessons and appreciating people for their kindness, curiosity and willingness to step outside their comfort zone. Basically, what we did on Mt. Pilchuck.

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Lissy Rabusseau graduated from the University of Washington in 2009 with a Master's degree in Women Studies. She served on the FIUTS Board of Trustees for 6 years, including as President of the FIUTS Student Board, and helped welcome many international students to Seattle.

Faces of FIUTS is published every two weeks on the FIUTS blog, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Read past posts collected here!

Interested in being featured as a Face of FIUTS? Contact Ellen Frierson at ellen@fiuts.org.