My favorite song from Taylor Swift’s 1989 album is “New Romantics”. Although it is a bonus song on the deluxe album, I think it truly encompasses the album's themes as a whole. It works as a stark comparison to “Clean”, which is on the closing track of the regular album. “Clean” is about accepting that something is over and needing to recover, whereas “New Romantics” is about accepting what life has thrown at you and embracing what’s to come. I believe this song truly encapsulates Swift’s feelings and acceptance of how the media portrays her. She is constantly written as a serial romantic who dates and breaks up with men just to write songs about them. She is constantly criticized for her dating history, “Baby I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me”. As someone in the spotlight, every move she makes is under scrutiny. Throughout the 1989 era, Swift had gone from being “America’s Sweetheart” to a “lying snake” and ended up disappearing from the public eye. This transition inspired later albums and remains a recurring theme. 1989 is also Swift’s first pop album and is one of her most awarded albums. I believe “New Romantics” perfectly matches the pop theme. On the surface, it sounds like any other pop song with lyrics such as “Heartbreak is the national anthem/We sing it proudly”. But fans of Swift or anyone who has paid attention to how tabloids report about her can understand how this song is in some ways a response, “The rumors are terrible and cruel/But honey most of them are true”. Her private life has been splashed on the pages of magazines and there’s nothing left for her to do except keep dancing. Overall, “New Romantics” is an upbeat song about accepting the cards you have been dealt and having fun with it. She cannot change the way people view her but she can control how she reacts to it. Enjoy life and the people around you and do not let people get to you is a consistent theme in this album and continues in her next one, Reputation. Though the two albums are greatly different in aesthetics and tone, the two continue the theme of being criticized for every move. 1989 is about “shaking it off” and continuing to live life and have fun, Reputation is about accepting the role you’ve been cast in and playing your part. Both are about not caring about how you are viewed by the general public and knowing that the people who matter will accept you as you are, and “New Romantics” is a great track for that feeling. “Baby we’re the new romantics/the best people in life are free”.

My favorite Disney character is Rapunzel from Tangled. When the movie for her had just come out, I had really related to her character for one specific reason: her HAIR! When it had come out in 2010 I had hair that went all the way down to my knees! It was really cool to see someone on TV that had actually long hair in my opinion. At that time when my hair was that long, when I heard other people talk about someone's "long" hair I simply did not agree since I had about three or so feet of hair. So at that time and age, it was really nice to relate to a Disney princess. Another reason I love Rapunzel and can relate to her is her interest in art as well as her curiosity about nature. I am currently a Fine Arts major at UConn and I have been doing and enjoying art for as long as I can remember. If I could paint all over my walls as she did I absolutely would! I have also always had an interest in the beauty of nature. I love seeing fields of flowers or pretty green trees in the sunlight. I just find everything so peaceful and comfortable that I could just sit in a pretty spot for a long time. I also recently got to have my moment of feeling like Rapunzel when I had recently dyed my hair blonde for the first time. I own a light purple dress with puffy sleeves that reminds me of her dress from the movie. So one day for work I wore that dress and I felt like Rapunzel for the day, and I absolutely loved it. Then of course I cannot forget about the songs from the movie! It has some of my favorite Disney music. From "I See The Light" where she and Eugene have the beautiful duet to "Kingdom Dance" which is an instrumental that always makes me feel the need to dance around like a princess. To end off my essay I will give you a quick fun fact about the movie (hoping you don't know it already!) Did you know that Eugene/Flynn was modeled after the women's ideals of the "hottest" man was in the studio where they were making it? They pooled all their ideas together and made Flynn Rider the character he is now!

I currently have two dogs alongside the family I live with. They are both rescues from Puerto Rico that were going to get put down if the organization could not find anyone to adopt or foster them. The first one we got was Luna, she's on the small side as for size but we do know her breeds since her sister's owner got a DNA test! So we know for sure that she is a Chihuahua, Border collie, and Jack Russell Terrier Mix but her colors are just mostly black with a bit of white on her stomach. She is a bit of a sassy girl who has a bit of an attitude to her but she is always down for some good belly rubs and pats. As for our second dog, his name is Leo and he is about twice the size or a bit more than Luna. We assume that he most likely part Lab and Whippet from ours and our friends' best guesses. Leo has always been a very sweet dog. He loves everyone and just wants to be everyone's friend. When my mom used to work at the Institute of Living in Hartford CT, she would even bring Leo in occasionally for those who suffered from phobias of dogs. From what I heard Leo really helped some people get over their fears with how calm and friendly his demeanor was. They both get along with each other very well except for when Luna decides she wants whatever toy or treat that Leo has at that moment. As for the roles they play for me, Luna really loves my mom more than anyone while Leo always just wants to be with someone. He is also very perceptive of emotions and when one of us in the house isn't feeling well. He'll end up laying with us and trying to cuddle or lick our faces in an attempt to make us feel better. Leo really becomes my best friend when I'm feeling sad or not up to do anything at all and he'll just lay with me and it helps me feel like everything is going to be okay. Outside of those two, we used to have another family dog that we adopted when I was about five years old. His name was Rylan and he was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I might be biased since I grew up with him but to me, he was the greatest dog to have. He was always my best friend no matter what. He never caused trouble and was always there for me when I needed it. I even remember when he was little he would curl up in the crook of my neck to sleep and it was the cutest. Rylan would even go to my mother's old job and sleep on her desk. Everyone loved to stop by and pet him and say hello. The only time he ever got on my nerves was when he would bark a lot but that was to be expected. He passed away when he was 9 years old in, unfortunately, the same way a lot of Cavaliers go. He had a heart condition to wear his heart started to get so large that it was pushing against his other organs and he eventually had to be put down. That moment was what really taught me about how loss felt. But I will always cherish the moments he gave me and my family. As well as I will always love the moment's that our current dogs give us as well.

My passion for art has been around for as long as my parents and I can remember. I went from doodling and finger painting to drawing and painting in courses in college, where I am now. Art has always had, and I assume always will be a constant in my life. I can remember drawing from a very young age. Then, as I got older, I tried many different types of art and creating. I remember starting to paint with the Crayola paints in the tiny jars and with the watercolors that had barely any pigment when put on paper. I also tried sculpting and making little figurines with polymer clay around middle school and enjoyed that a lot. Nowadays, I have continued to paint and draw over the years. Overall, I have always been expressing myself creatively through some sort of art or another. As for formal training, my parents put me into summer art classes when I was younger since they knew I loved it so much. I went on to take a drawing and a ceramics class in high school which I both enjoyed. While I never really stopped drawing since that was the most convenient form of art that was always available to me, that is not the main thing that I would like to focus on. I would mainly like to focus on sculpture work as well as painting as those are the two things I seem to enjoy the most. I tend to paint when I can and when I have a good idea and I miss doing pottery and sculpture work in my ceramics class in high school. However, just like I did growing up, I would love to try many different types of art and classes available to me if possible. I am currently in a painting and a sculpting course at the University of Connecticut and I am enjoying myself very much. I am excited to express myself going forward through an art major and eventually through getting a certificate of teaching in art to share my passion with others. This is the goal for me as of right now, to become an art teacher and continue my passion and essentially life's work by helping others learn and enjoy everything art has to give them.

My passion for art has been around for as long as my parents and I can remember. I went from doodling and finger painting to drawing and painting in courses in college, where I am now. Art has always has, and I assume always will be a constant in my life. I can remember drawing from a very young age. Then, as I got older, I tried many different types of art and creating. I remember starting to paint with the Crayola paints in the tiny jars and with the watercolors that had barely any pigment when put on paper. I also tried sculpting and making little figurines with polymer clay around middle school and enjoyed that a lot. Nowadays, I have a chalkboard wall in my room that I like to update every few months. I have also continued to paint and draw over the years. Overall, I have always been expressing myself creatively through some sort of art or another. As for formal training, my parents put me into summer art classes when I was younger since they knew I loved it so much. I went on to take a drawing and a ceramics class in high school which I both enjoyed. While I never really stopped drawing since that was the most convenient form of art that was always available to me, that is not the main thing that I would like to focus on. I would mainly like to focus on sculpture work as well as painting as those are the two things I seem to enjoy the most. I tend to paint when I can and when I have a good idea and I miss doing pottery and sculpture work in my ceramics class in high school. However, just like I did growing up, I would love to try many different types of art and classes available to me if possible. I am currently in a painting and a sculpting course at the University of Connecticut and I am enjoying myself very much. I am excited to express myself going forward and through an art major and eventually through getting a certificate of teaching in art to share my passion with others. This is the goal for me as of right now, to become an art teaching and continue my passion and essentially life's work into helping others learn and enjoy everything art has to give them.