Self-love and acceptance is a difficult journey with no clear destination. Once you attempt to repair a past full of hatred and discomfort from living in your own skin, you will be in recovery for a lifetime. The rocky road of self-love has taught me that perseverance and confidence is key to find happiness within yourself. Putting full effort into loving yourself means you're more likely to be compassionate towards other people. There are many factors that contribute to my seemingly never-ending list of adversities. One stand-out factor is that I am autistic. I process the world, emotions, and senses differently than neurotypical people. For a long time, I viewed it as a major setback. Because I had a difficult time socializing with my peers, especially in elementary school, I felt like it was impossible for me to fit in. My lack of social skills initiated my cycle of self-hatred. Growing up, I never really developed too many interests. By the time I got to middle school, it was about time to figure out what I wanted to do. My sisters, back when they were in high school, contributed heavily to their high school theatre and choir departments. I figured that I should give both of those things a shot. My mindset was that it could boost my confidence in social situations and I could perhaps develop a new passion or two. But the one thing that held me back from achieving great things when I was younger is that I lacked the motivation to make my life better because I thought it was automatically hindered because of my autism and that there was no way I could make light out of my situation. My passion for theatre and choir came so naturally for me and that's when I truly felt like I had a place to call home. Those two departments are safe and welcoming spaces for everyone, and I thankfully adjusted well. Once I had found my passions, that's when I started to find my life's purpose: to positively impact other people's lives through live performances. Finding my passion and changing my mindset helped me to view my autism as more of a superpower rather than a hinderance. My journey of achieving total self-love will last a lifetime, but that's okay, because persistence is key to loving yourself.

The piece I have linked is entitled "Calcu-lust The Musical: Overture". For a final project, my calculus teacher told my class to create a project about anything that we wanted as long as it was calculus-related. To combine our passions for music and theatre, me and my friends decided to create a calculus musical! It is a musical that depicts two people who fall head-over-heels for each other because of each other's deep passion for calculus. I composed an overture that simulates a blossoming love in the springtime. This peaceful, catchy tune was perfect for an overture of a romantic musical.

My greatest inspiration in life — and what truly gives me life — is performing (acting and singing). It allows me to learn how to empathize and collaborate with other people who share my same passions. Performing inspires me because it inspires other people. It allows me to authentically share and learn from the perspectives from the characters I am portraying. It also provides an escape from the adversities of everyday life — as actors, we can leave our baggage at the door and focus on creating art together in the moment. During the pandemic, I felt quite lost, as did many other people across the globe. Since school was not in session, I couldn't continue my passions: theatre and choir. Going back into school for the first time since March, I was thrilled to get to work on my craft as an actress and musician while abiding by proper safety precautions. We were all genuinely excited to see each other face-to-face and to get to perform again. The togetherness that the arts provides drives me to be the absolute best person I can be.