I have been surrounded by the need to help others my entire life. Through elementary and middle school, I consistently volunteered in the classroom and assisted as many people as possible. Many adults said I had "an old soul" because I preferred to stay inside to help rather than play with my peers. In reality, I just wanted to help as much as I could. In high school, I found a volunteering program with the local hospital, SHARP Grossmont. Through this volunteering program, I would assist the volunteer's office in helping patients discharge, providing media for patients, and doing clerical work for the volunteer program. It was such a life-changing experience because I got to see how I was making a direct impact. I was helping others in a medical capacity, even though I wasn't a nurse or a doctor. My favorite part of the job was, if the hospital was releasing a homeless patient, the nursing staff would give me the patient's measurements and we would send that person off with new clothes and better health. It gave me a sense of purpose. Unfortunately, after a year, I had to leave the volunteering position to find a paying job so I could financially support myself. I then found a new way to help people: customer service. Although customer service is one of the least glamorous jobs, it's still helping people. And I was still able to gain the satisfaction of helping, but I knew that I wanted to someday go back to the medical field. Toward the end of my time in high school, I took a career test. The results shocked me: I should go into mortuary sciences. I decided to ignore it, but it was always in the back of my mind. Now, in my sophomore year of undergraduate school, I understand why I tested for mortuary sciences. I have seen both my parents lose their fathers and are both about to lose their mothers. I have clearly seen the stress of death and the toll it takes on families. It pains me to see my own family like this and all I wanted to do was help. That was when I realized I wanted to go into mortuary science. I would love to do anything to alleviate the grief of the families and to make things just a little easier for them. Therefore, I want to go into mortuary science to continue helping people when, in my opinion, they need it most.

As an artist, the everyday world inspires me by being able to imagine how I would attempt to paint what I see. I view trees as their fundamental drawing shapes; the colors as their combinations of red, yellow, and blue; the tone of shadows versus the tint of reflections. I constantly see snapshots of potential paintings, which inspires me to view the world with more beauty. When I concieve nature as a painting, I am able to see the nuances and details that make it unique. It's a beautiful ability to view everyday life with the eyes of an artist because we are trained to be able to see more. To me, there is nothing more inspiring than viewing the world as the art it is.

I have been involved in performing arts since I was in kindergarten. I was fortunate enough to attend a private elementary school that had yearly full-scale musical productions. From kindergarten to fifth grade, I learned the basics of performance and how to be a good ensemble member in shows such as: The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, The Little Mermaid, Annie Get Your Gun, and Annie. When I moved on to middle school, I took a brief hiatus due to the school's lack of a drama program. As soon as I went to high school, I was back into performing in full swing. My first production there allowed me the opportunity to act and try out some technical aspects. During a production of A Christmas Carol, I realized that I loved theater but didn't truly love acting. So, for our upcoming production of Les Miserables, I switched to tech. I worked as a scenic craftsperson on Les Miserables and A Midsummer Night's Dream; additionally, during A Midsummer Night's Dream, I learned how to run sound. For the last year and a half of highschoool (although part of it was interrupted by COVID) I was the Head of Sound. For the final show of my senior year, Shrek the Musical, I was the Head of Sound and a co-scenic designer. The school's technical director had quit therefore leaving myself and two other students as co-technical directors, co-scenic designers, and co-teachers. Although this was a very stressful situation for seventeen-year-old-me, it allowed me to learn so much about running a theater, teaching, and design; a trial by fire. Once I found technical theater, I knew that that was how I wanted to continue theatrical passion. I am now currently an undergraduate junior majoring in Theater at Whitman College. I have worked as a scenic craftsperson/general production staff at this college for two years and have been able to expand my technical knowledge. Positions I have held through my college are: the props designer for The Penelopiad, They Dont Pay? We Won't Pay! and The Thanksgiving Play; co-sound designer for Bare: A Pop Opera; and sound board operator for The Revolutionists, several dance concerts, and other events that have rented out the theater space. I have also rekindled my acting career by playing Hamlet in Hamlet and Main Ensemble in a devised peice. Addiotnally, since I was sixteen, I have held various theater jobs to gain a variety of experience. I held summer jobs as a Properties Intern at The Old Globe, a scenic craftsperson at Seawrold San Diego, and an Usher/Production staff at the local non-profit community theater. I've also worked sound for several productions at local children's theaters. All of these expereinces have made me realize that I want to continue theater for the rest of my life. Specifically, I want to continue teaching and learning by becoming a Professor in Theater Arts. The combination for my love of acadamia, learning, and teaching fit perfectly into this position. Furthermore, I want to be able to help people with their own theater journeys, as they are all unique. What I truly want to achieve in the future is a legacy as an educator and mentor. Theater can be an extremely strange and overwhelming field to go into. I just hope that I can provide support, knowledge, and kindness to future generations of theater students.