In this oral history Carol Travis reflects of her life as a lifelong Washingtonian. She was christened at Asbury United Methodist Church. Carl discusses her impressions of Washington, D.C., as it has changed over the decades starting in the 1940s. Topics that she discusses that are related to the city's transformations include gentrification, the 1968 riots, and how increased congestions keeps potential parishioners away. Throughout the interview she often returns to the value of education, her lifelong ambition to teach, and the various ways she has found to fulfill this ambition. She talks about her love for Asbury United Methodist as well as her hopes and concerns for its future and the future of Methodism. She talks about how volunteering with the Church brings her a deep satisfaction as does her job at the African American Methodist Heritage Center where she preserves artifacts and history of the Black Methodist church.