Check us out!
About Us
Do It While You’re Young (DIWYY) is a website for young women from the ages of 18-35 designed to inspire and guide readers to travel, study, work, and volunteer abroad. DIWYY was founded by Jerri Stephenson and Kristina Wegscheider who together have covered more than sixty countries and territories spanning from Antarctica to Japan to Zimbabwe – and they have not even reached age 30. They thrive on exploring new countries, trying new things, and going to places others only dream of.
Kristina and Jerri met in 2002 while studying abroad in Australia with the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad. They became instant friends who shared a love of travel and world exploration.
The Do It While You’re Young brand evolved after Jerri and Kristina had several meet-ups throughout the United States. During conversations with other people, the topic of travel would come up often and stories from Jerri and Kristina’s adventures would cause the reaction of “I wish I would have done it when I was your age.” And from there, Jerri and Kristina were unofficially tasked with spreading the travel bug to young women everywhere.
The concept of having a book was born years ago when Kristina visited Jerri in Miami, Florida. Instead of enjoying the vibrant culture and beautiful beaches, the girls opted to take up residence at the South Beach Starbuck’s for the weekend to get their ideas onto paper.
|
|
Name: Kristina Wegscheider Role: Co-founder/Editor/Writer Hometown: San Jose, CA U.S. States Visited: 24 Countries Visited: 48 Continent Count: 7 Education: Bachelor’s from U.C. Berkeley; Master’s from Chapman University Travel Specialties: Balancing a full-time job with a full travel schedule, Studying abroad, Frequent flyer miles |
Kristina Wegscheider is a native of San Jose, California. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from U.C. Berkeley and a Master’s degree in Human Resources from Chapman University. During her undergraduate program, she studied abroad in both Australia and South Africa. Although Kristina now works full-time in Human Resources, she hasn’t let the pressures of corporate America take away from her true passion of being a full-time traveler. Since 2002, when she began traveling independently, she has visited forty-six countries and territories spanning all seven continents. Thus far, her favorite travel destination has been Antarctica. Kristina blogs regularly on DIWYY’s website, as well as on I Wish Travel and i-studentlife. She has also contributed material for books in the To Asia With Love guidebook series from ThingsAsian Press.
 |
Name: Jerri Stephenson Role: Co-founder/Editor/Social Media Guru Hometown: Houston, TX U.S. States Visited: 34 Countries Visited: 28 Continent Count: 6 Education: Bachelor’s in Management and Marketing from Abilene Christian University; completing pre-reqs to apply to medical school Travel Specialties: Working abroad, studying abroad, backpacking When she is not traveling, she is: running, going to the beach, Twittering, doing yoga, and dreaming of her next adventure and it usually has something to do with beaches, surfboards and hammocks. Contact: jerri@diwyy.com |
Jerri is originally from the west Texas town of Abilene, TX, and graduated from Abilene Christian University. She got her first real taste for travel in college when she studied abroad one summer in Oxford, England and then again he next year during Christmas break in Australia. Not having any job prospects and not really wanting any, the day she graduated from college, Jerri moved to Barcelona, Spain, knowing no one, with no real plans and for no good reason! Eventually Jerri found herself working as a hotel office manager at Mary’s Boon Beachfront Hotel on the island of Sint Maarten in the Dutch West Indies, Caribbean. After a year living on the island, Jerri started working as crew aboard private mega yachts (not cruise ships!) in the Caribbean and along the East coast of the United States for the next 3 years. While working and traveling around the world, Jerri kept a travel blog and podcast (way back before it was considered cool) called One Girl, Her Backpack and a Passion for Travel, to keep family and friends updated on her whereabouts. Jerri is also a Combat Medic in the Texas Army National Guard. When not in class working on her pre-reqs for medical school or tweaking the DIWYY website, Jerri can usually be found on Twitter at @jerrigirl.
 |
Name: Erich Wegscheider Role: Columnist Hometown: San Jose, CA U.S. States Visited: 10 Countries Visited: 34 Continent Count: 5 Education: Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Oregon Travel Specialties: Independent Travel, Event Travel When he is not traveling, he is: swimming, biking, or running. Erich is in pursuit of an elite license for triathlons. Contact: erich@diwyy.com |
Erich Wegscheider, Kristina’s younger brother, is also from San Jose, California. He attended the University of Oregon and earned a Bachelors in Economics. Before transferring to Oregon, Erich studied abroad on Semester at Sea, where his desire to travel grew exponentially. On that voyage alone, he visited 12 International Ports of Call. Since graduating, Erich has moved back to California and is in pursuit of an elite license so he can compete professionally in triathlons. Erich primarily travels for triathlons held nationally and internationally, but finds time to visit exotic locales in his limited downtime.
DIWYY has an amazing group of talented contributors and advisors that help keep us running. Check out these awesome women that we couldn’t do without!
