My name is Franziska and I'm 18 years old. I'm from Austria but I moved to America when I was 13 because my parents wanted me to have better opportunities here. I've always been a very independent person, so even though it was hard to leave everything behind, I knew that this was the right decision for me.
My family and I settled in New York City, and I immediately fell in love with the energy of the city. I started attending NYU where I studied journalism and political science. During my time at school, I interned at a few different news outlets and also worked as a waitress to make ends meet.
After graduating from college, I landed an amazing job at CNN as a political correspondent. I was thrilled to be able to combine my passion for politics with my love for storytelling. However, after a few years of working long hours and traveling constantly, I started to feel burnt out.
I decided to take some time off and travel the world, which is something that had always been on my bucket list. I spent several months backpacking through Europe and Asia before finally ending up in Australia. It was here that I met someone who completely changed my life.
His name was Jack, and he was an Aussie surfer dude who was everything that I had ever wanted in a partner. We fell madly in love with each other and decided to move back to the States together so that we could start our own family.
Fast forward a few years, and here I am, a mom of two beautiful boys who are my entire world. I still work as a correspondent for CNN but on a more part-time basis so that I can be there for my kids. My husband and I also run a small surf shop in Malibu where we sell handmade boards and teach people how to surf.
Life is good, and I'm grateful for every single moment of it.