I’ve always wanted to be a good person. And almost always, I think that I am. However, it hasn’t come easy. I can be selfish and mean, and when I catch myself acting in these ways, I scare myself. Being a good person is something that I can have trouble with, but am trying to work hard to achieve it. There are some things I will always know about myself. For example, I am not a born leader. I sweat under the pressure of public speaking and try to fly under the radar. But as I’ve gotten older, I have been forced to get out of my comfort zone and step into leadership roles. For example, since I was a senior, I was a co-captain on my dance team. I’ve also had to present and talk in class, as all students do. I’ve found that these experiences have pushed me to become a bit more of an outgoing person, which I figured out last year when I willingly ran to be the president of the drama club at my high school. I had been involved in the club since my freshman year but still was surprised that I was elected. After that, I heavily took part in planning and helping with most of the theatre activities and events. Not only do I want to step into more leadership roles in college, but I also want to use all of these achievements to set good examples for my two younger brothers. In the future, when they get to the point of applying for colleges, I want them to be able to think back on the experiences I had, and things I did right. Yes, I have done a lot of volunteer work but, I’m going to be honest I wasn’t involved in these activities necessarily because I wanted to help others. I was involved because it meant I got to be with my friends. I found the multiple leaf-raking projects we did quite boring, and never really wanted to do them. However, as I look back now, I’m glad I did. It is rewarding to see the looks on peoples‘ faces when you help them, even if that might not have been my initial intention. Those projects have also helped me grow closer to the people I did them with. Since I have finished cosmetology school and am now a hairdresser while continuing college, I want to continue to help people through beauty and expression, even though looks aren’t everything.

Some people paint. Some people play instruments. Some people sing. What I do is not so black and white. Yes, all art is incredible. Art is in-depth and full of expression. But, what I do is special. I paint and draw on an uneven canvas that is dotted with light freckles, high cheekbones, and pink lips. My medium is makeup. Some might not consider any makeup art, let alone special effects makeup. It could be considered “too gore-like” or “abnormal.” However, this is not what I see. Instead, I see the potential of change. In this piece, each side of my face is drastically different from the other, perfectly demonstrating how much the art of makeup can change someone's face. I have been involved in multiple different types of art. Dance, theater, painting, music, the list is almost endless. Special effects makeup is the one kind of art that I have such an incredible passion for and allows me to explore my creativity. I’m currently in a career academy for cosmetology while finishing high school to pursue my passion for makeup, and it has opened my eyes even more to this unique field of art. Makeup is what I love to do, what I live for, and that is my true vision.