Growing up a mixed-race, bisexual girl in a small-town Mississippi, I know from experience just how much representation in the visual arts sector matters. It was because I saw characters like myself on stage that I developed an intense passion for musical theatre at a young age. Having a career in the arts, specifically musical theatre, is important to me because the arts have allowed me to dream and create things I never thought were possible for myself, and those are values that I want other youth like me to possess. Everyone deserves to feel seen and be heard, and by having a career as a performer, I can inspire others the way other performers inspired me. The way I see it, performing on a stage isn’t just about singing or acting well. It’s not about fame or being the star of the show. The true meaning of a performance is to give something back to the audience. To give that blue-collar working mom in the audience love and laughter. To give that little girl like me, sitting in the very front singing along to every song, big dreams and hopes for her future. Unfortunately, I also know from experience how hard it is for careers in the arts to be accepted in minority communities. As a part white, part Native American, part Afro-Latina with parents who worked their hardest to get me to where I am today, pursuing an “unstable” career as a performer is often brought up in family and community discussions. But this idea within cultural communities is just another reason why the arts are so important. By investing time and resources into theatre companies that cast diversely, make space for cultural stories and playwrights, and traveling specifically to minority-heavy communities (like I hope to do in the future), we can educate and inspire older and new generations to understand that same importance of the arts. Pursuing my passion for the arts has allowed me to dream big about the impact I can make on other young people like me. I plan to devote my career to setting standards for more inclusive theatres and communities and lead by example with my own company. Ultimately, a career in the arts is important to me, because, in the arts, I can make a difference.

Growing up the only mixed-race girl in small-town Mississippi, I know from experience just how much representation on stage matters, in fact, it was because I saw someone like myself in a musical that I developed a life-long passion for musical theatre. I am in pursuit of the best education possible for myself so that I can have the skills to create my own theatre company dedicated to diverse casting and storytelling and exposing rural and minority communities to musical theatre. My ultimate dream is to make an impact on minority youth communities and inspire a love for the arts.