Acting came and stole my heart ever since that day when I was seven, sitting in the theatre with my mom watching Matilda the Musical, and has kept it close, giving it water, food, shelter, and warmth. There are many acting angles and techniques. Some exercises move me to tears, others I’m still practising, like losing myself in a scene with my scene partner. What I have learned from acting is that it’s teaching me to play. I’ve also learned new lessons from every character I play. The role of Nina in Christopher Durang’s Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike taught me to take up space and be loud. I learned to be playful in this role, acting as if I were a molecule reporting that all living creatures are dead. I committed every night to acting out each of the animals. While Juliet in Romeo and Juliet taught me that it’s ok to be vulnerable and go to deep places within myself. Standing under the warm stage light, speaking poetry to someone each night, I understood what it meant to deeply connect with my scene partner. Every role puts something about myself under the microscope, and it helps me learn and discover who I am. I love to fixate on the character I’m playing and daydream about what they are thinking. It’s feeding the storyteller child in me. I want to challenge my creative brain to learn more about the craft of this wild child called acting. My first taste of acting came at the Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts, where I attended from the ages of seven to twelve. There, I built the foundations of memorising lines, following directions, and gaining confidence on stage. Later, at the California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley, I began exploring acting beyond the surface, learning to find emotional truth in performance. The summer before tenth grade, I attended the California State Summer School for the Arts, an intense and transformative experience. There, I took voice and movement classes that taught me how to enunciate, trust my instincts, and feel comfortable in my own body. I realised then how much I thrive in a rigorous and creative environment, which inspired me to apply to Idyllwild Arts Academy. At Idyllwild Arts, I have performed in numerous productions. In my second semester of sophomore year, I played Nina, a supporting character in Christopher Durang’s Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike. The first semester of junior year, I played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. In my senior year, I played Bessie in Marvin’s Room. Beyond acting, I directed a short play and stage-managed Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson, which gave me a greater appreciation for the technical and creative aspects of theatre. My upbringing has shaped my craft just as much as my training. I grew up traveling and visiting my family in El Salvador and Mexico. Because of my multicultural upbringing, I’ve had exposure to different cultures and speak both Spanish and English at home. This has shaped how I view the world and my art. Studying in the UK excites me because it offers new perspectives on acting, teaching styles, and ways of seeing the world. That’s why I want to study abroad, to expand my horizons even more and learn from different people and cultures. Studying theatre, I’ve realised that art reveals truths about humanity and society. Theatre and storytelling have the power to bring comfort, laughter, and escapism during dark times. There is something magical about a group of people gathering in a dark room to watch another group tell a story and feel moved afterwards. I want to use my art to create work that makes people feel seen. Whether it’s through laughter or empathy. If I have the power to impact someone's life by making them feel seen or loved, that is more than enough for me; that’s why I do my art. If I can impact at least one person, if I can make someone feel understood or less alone, that is enough. That is why I do my art.