Hi! My name is Alana Dillinger and I am from a small town in Colorado, Woodland Park. I have grown up there all my life and have loved growing up in a tight knit community. After eighteen years there, I was excited to leave for a larger city and attend Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. While at Gonzaga I am working towards a dual degree in mathematics and computer science which I hope leads me to a career in the government. I have always enjoyed solving puzzles and now the idea of cryptography fascinates me. However, after a year in a city I miss the community of small towns.
My parents have always emphasized the importance of health and that interest has been passed onto me. In our family we have had dietary restrictions such as dairy and through that I have learned a lot about the benefits of different foods and how to get around allergies. This sparked my passion for cooking from scratch and using fresh ingredients. I love finding natural foods and am very supportive of local businesses so I make an effort to buy locally from farmers markets and family businesses in Woodland Park. You can’t find this in larger cities, and positives such as this are what brings me back to small towns. Through the Ogallala Commons Internship, I am excited to become more involved in my community and develop more of an understanding of small towns and how they work together to keep the unique community going.
