Look out your window. The light of the world seeps in through the glass. Honesty means vulnerability. It's taking a shard of yourself and exposing it to the elements. We can't always handle the full reflection so a shard will do for now. "But I'm so scared of my guitar". Olivia Rodrigo has many many songs on falling in and out of love with another person. Within them, reflections on self love are potent and it's my favorite of her music. Scared of my Guitar is a song about not wanting to know your true feelings in fear that you can't go back. Ignorance is bliss. Olivia's guitar, her art, her most vulnerable and true expression is unable to veil the reflection in the glass. "It knows me too well, so I've got no excuse." Art is vulnerability. It's painting over that glass shard. Music has pushed me through my darkest times and given me the words to express myself. Cartoons exposed me to the world of wacky honest self expression. Anime has taught me life lessons and given me hope of a better life. But envy is an artists curse. I have nearly overcome this deadly sin: I no longer compare myself to other artists. Ego has yet to be defeated. Knowledge is power. Once you learn about the world and of yourself, you gain the ability to manipulate reality. You can make any dream come true if only you knew how. But life gets in the way. "Lacy" and it's many meanings. "I try I try I try, but it takes over my life." the balance between creating and consuming media is the hardest balance to set. Aiming to be a writer when you're uncertain you can level out with your favorites. Knowing you'll never be a great animator unless you put in the time like the rest. "I see you everywhere"- my favorite things in the world changing and evolving in my lifetime- "the sweetest torture one could bear". Will I ever be a part of that world? You sit in your room and stare out your window. The glass reflects the light of the world and it's colors merge and wave within your iris yet burn your skin from it's heat. Heat that gives us life. Fuels the plants and animals that sustains the world we take such deep inspiration from. When we look through our window, we forget it's the truest mirror. One shard built by 5 years of therapy. Another shard for overcoming hardships with your family. A shard for every relationship. A shard for your favorite movies. A shard for that Kirby comic you made when you were 6. A shard for the fantasy world building project you have high hopes for. A shard for your first summer long animation project. For the music video you helped produce. For the student debt you weigh for your education. For the two jobs and the uncertainty to pay for classes. For the expectations of everyone who helped you. A shard for your 12 year old self. For the first time he realized he can better this world. And when you step back and look at the whole mess together you witness your very own personal stained glass mural. And you learn the truth of yourself and the world. And there's no more ignorance. I like to think Olivia's songs hold double meanings. That she's also talking to herself in her songs. It makes me glad that "I can't lie to it the same way that I lie to you."

I am a rising senior at Purchase college. I major in Screen Writing and minor in Asian Studies, New Media and Animation. Over the summers I lifeguard and swim instruct at my local YMCA. Summer is a time I can catch up financially and set up savings for the upcoming semester. Once I’m back on campus I work two jobs. For three years I have been a monitor at a ropes course on my campus grounds. Other jobs have taken that second slot like guarding the campus pool, mentoring incoming freshmen and now being a tutor at the learning center. I barely worked before going into college. I came in with 12 credits being a part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in high school. That gave me a head start on my degree progress while forcing college level skills into my brain since 11th grade. I had school skills but no work skills. My work ethic has only built since then. My senior year may be the busiest one yet. During my Junior year I somehow balanced being a lead in a play, modeling, filming a documentary, and classes on top of being a tutor and ropes course-monitor. I am strong enough to do it all, but it’s time to prioritize. I have three minors but have only completed my major and one of my minors so far. Senior year will be completing the last two. Those other minors will not be covered under financial aid. This means spring semester tuition will be coming out of pocket on top of housing and a meal plan. This has placed a lot of stress on my family and I will have to work to keep myself up and pay for classes. All this means is I will be challenged once more, this time in a more adult way. I imagine it is like struggling to pay bills. For most people work is work. I am lucky enough to enjoy what I do. Once summer hits I’m in the water with kids for swim camp. We teach them how to swim, exercise their bodies and play games with them. It can get exhausting but my co-workers and the members of the YMCA make it an enjoyable place to be. Once I'm back to school I get to tutor again. We mostly work with freshmen on their college writing course. I deeply enjoy working in groups with my other mentors or doing 1on1s when students book my time. My longer shifts go to the ropes course. School groups, work trips, family outings and so on come to Boundless Adventure wanting to have fun and push their limits. We’re meant to harness them, give safety briefings, help them attach to courses and rescue them if they get stuck. It’s a large ever moving system of staff members adapting to each role that needs filling. I gain a lot of satisfaction from my work. No matter what, I know I will survive college and learn the skills I need to be a successful artist. I believe good effort and a positive outlook will get you anywhere. If I stay on my current path I’ll find a way to make it work.

I want to make shows and movies that inspire people like the ones I watched growing up. Cartoon Network and Toonami fed my generation important life lessons through animation. My community wasn't a place that made me feel like I could be myself and I only got that through those stories. Eastern and Western animation culture is dynamically different but through the years they've begun to merge. Anime is no longer a weird thing to watch. Cartoons are no longer just for kids. I want to be apart of this gap-bridging. I am a rising senior at Purchase College majoring in Screen Writing and minoring in Asian Studies, New Media and Animation. My financial aid does not cover my other two minors. I will already be walking out of college with stacks of debt for housing alone, and worrying about affording my last year of classes is piling the stress. Building two mediums of artistic skills on top of my mandarin proficiency has been a worthwhile challenge and I want to end my degree off with a bang. Since the cost of tuition is the lowest balance to cover I'm doing scholarship searches this summer to plan ahead and guarantee I don't have to make cuts on my education. This path I've chosen began in 10th grade when a teacher saw my stories and thought I should join her script writing class. I realized that I could turn my love of writing into a career. It wasn't until I graduated high school that I considered animation as a skill I could learn too. I spent that summer making my first animation project. Since starting college I have written many scripts, made an animated music video with other students, and explored other forms of art. Being a lead in a peers play, joining a film internship, modeling in a fashion show: anything to gain more perspective. Stories are only good when they can reach people. The beauty of film is it can reach the world regardless of language barriers. The beauty of animation is it's capability of shot language, color, character acting, setting and stylistic choice. Whether 3D or 2D animation gives you control over reality and forces a contemplation of your own perspective through how it breaks it. The cultures creating these animations are directly tied to the work. What we see in anime isn't the same in American cartoons. This culture merge is happening in present time. Japanese studios outsource work to global freelancers for complex cuts. I follow my favorite American, Chinese and Japanese animators who all worked on the same shows together. If I can gain the skills to write compelling stories, animate well enough to convey complex ideas, and learn the languages to bridge this gap between cultures, I will gladly spend the rest of my life contributing to my favorite medium of art and it's growth into global unity.

My name is Evan Dufresne and I am a upcoming senior at Purchase College. I am majoring in Screenwriting and minoring in Asian Studies, New Media and Animation. For my degree requirements, my major and asian studies minor are the only subjects that fall under financial aid. Once I complete those requirements this coming fall semester, spring semester will not be covered considering my animation and new media classes. I am currently scholarship searching for aid to allow myself to take those classes. My goal in life is to write the stories that inspired me growing up and turn them into animated movies and shows. Learning mandarin through my minor is pushing me towards merging eastern and western culture as I grew up with anime alongside American cartoons on cartoon network and nickelodeon. Once I graduate I will be focusing primarily on language learning for mandarin and Japanese while improving my art and writing skills. During my junior year I was blessed with an animation opportunity and helped make a music video with students in japan. It was through the an annual art program collaboration of Purchase College and Technos College. It was the first time I collaborated on visual and auditory art and investing myself in the production process and a culture I grew up admiring was a dream come true. For this upcoming senior year I have a lot ahead of me. My mandatory senior project is to write a full length feature screen play. I will be working as a tutor on campus and at a ropes course on the premises. Through a film internship; my skills with cameras, lights and editing will grow. This is beyond classes, social life and maintaining proper habits to keep my mental and physical health strong. I have a wonderful support system around me and I know I am capable but I must make an active effort to use this time wisely. I always loved learning since elementary school. Maintaining a 3.8 GPA wasn't easy but I am proud of the work I've down through my education. Struggling through the International Baccalaureate program allowed me to come into college with 12 extra credits. I am grateful for the foundation that was granted to me by my community and that I built within myself to fight for these lofty goals of mine. I will continue to apply for many scholarships besides this one. Housing and food costs alone for the year are around 15K and loans help get me through but with my situation for the spring, it's not looking the best. No matter what I will accomplish my dreams but if support is possible, I will gladly receive it and meet everyones expectations.