While I could discuss my experience surrounding conversion therapy, I think it is important to acknowledge that without this extensive trauma I don't believe my eyes would've been opened to the inspiration and gratitude I've found within philanthropy. I do not come from a naturally charitable people, but during one of the many times throughout my life that they have cast me aside, I have always found kindness in strangers. It is this ability to love, without responsibility or duty of any kind, only human beings helping human beings that helped bring me back to life. Although it took me a while to uncover, I know that I plan to work in charity productions for the rest of my life. Even after starring in the Philip Glass opera, The Perfect American, I realized Theatre, Art, Acting, and Music have always been there, and always will be. However, charity and live music are where my heart lies. Suppose I can continue to elevate my community, perhaps even one-tenth of what Tyler Perry has been able to do for the black community, bringing LGBT+ people and our artistic mediums into a new light? In that case, I know that my ordeal will not have been in vain. We can redirect this hatred into something beautiful through continued dialogue, a refusal of silence, and an open heart. In my own work, I exclusively work within charitable projects, to varying degrees. My "Love is" concert series just completed its fourth year in coalition with the LGBT Center, where we raise money for those within the LGBT community without family or resources to return home during the holidays. This year's cast was entirely trans or non-binary, with an intentional focus, celebration, and elevation of Trans BIPOC in hopes of combating the ever-increasing violence and persecution of such a magical group. Additionally, this year and for the first time, I hosted a large charity dinner which I organized and prepared myself. Two nights after the charity concert, on Thanksgiving, I invited over the very people we had raised money for. I could list more specific charitable organizations that I've taken part in, including the Lancer Community News, a collegiate non-profit news organization that I co-founded and anchored during the pandemic, but I think the big picture is more powerful. Unfortunately, not all stories have happy endings, what we do with that pain will define us.

I have always found kindness in strangers. It is this ability to love, without responsibility or duty of any kind, only human beings helping human beings that helped bring me back to life. In my own work, I exclusively work within charitable projects, to varying degrees. My "Love is" concert series just completed its fourth year in coalition with the LGBT Center, where we raise money for those within the LGBT community without family or resources to return home during the holidays. This year's cast was entirely trans or non-binary. Additionally, this year, I hosted a charity dinner, which I organized and prepared myself. Two nights after the concert, on Thanksgiving, I invited over the very people we had raised money for. While I could list more specific charitable organizations that I've taken part in, including the Lancer Community News, which is a collegiate news organization I co-founded and anchored for during the pandemic as a means of keeping our community connected during an impossibly dark time, but I think the big picture is more powerful. I will always provide a platform for those who society has deemed inadequate to have a voice. If I can do one-tenth of what Tyler Perry has done for the black community, within my own LGBT+, I will have succeeded. I only wish to expand the scope of our perception, presentability, and future within the landscape of the American dream. While I have continued on in my career to star in a Philip Glass opera, The Perfect American, and produced my own projects over the years following, I cannot wait to return to one of the only places that have ever felt like home. Whether onset or buried on the cutting room floor, I was meant to create Television & Film.

With such little exposure to love early on in life, I've had to teach myself how to love. Love began for me with fulfillment and being able to give back. I think that the first step in being a good leader is being a great worker and this is the same for love. In the kind of business environment, I would like to create, the "Boss" can do every single person's job on set, or in life, adequately. You have, of course, hired or collaborated with other great minds who specialize in that specific field and probably perform it better than you, but for someone to instruct they must first understand what it is they are asking for. I believe that starting my charity concert series was the first moment where I felt like a real leader. I have been in many leadership roles throughout my life, but once I understood the impact I was able to wield, the less it became about proving I could. To me, becoming a leader and showing others love has been about learning to not only share the spotlight but often give it up entirely. The audiences and charities that the show reached once I broadened the scope was profound. By providing a platform to LGBT+ artists that, perhaps, would have never received one, I was able to witness the ripple effects of collaboration and inspiration nationwide. A tide that I hope continues to propel forward each cast member, from every production. I think this is the epitome of what a leader in love is and aspires to be. Fearless, in their pursuit of truth and defending loyalty, but calm in the face of an onslaught of new information.

While attempting to describe this trauma and subsequent decade of therapy within this space is almost impossible, I'll elect to feel gratitude for us all not having to relive the situation in too much detail. I am a victim of infant, child, and adolescent abuse. My mother married multiple men who violated me in ways I'll never speak of again and this led to a very complicated academic program growing up. I was often pulled out of school, or unable to return, to hide bruises and marks. Once I finally refused to tolerate it anymore, my distant family helped me get into Idyllwild Arts Academy for my senior year of high school. I couldn't have been more thrilled to finally be back on the path of my dreams, however, once they realized how progressive and "liberal" the curriculum and understanding of civil rights was on campus they pulled me out. Over the next seven months, I was locked in a dark room in Utah, subjected to so many creative forms of torture, I have had more than one therapist ask me to stop. Once I was finally "allowed" to leave, a month before my eighteenth birthday, it took me years to recover. Although, through years of therapy, and a hell of a lot of amazing people, I discovered that the pain never actually came from the physical misery, but from the abandonment. My entire family watched me be subjected to this and it is my duty to assure that this never occurs to another child. While my family's hatred may have certainly distracted and derailed my academic achievement for a few years following the incident, I am now unstoppable. With a focus I haven't felt in years, I dove back into my studies. At this point, I have received twenty-two A's and only one B with no intention of slowing down. I know that through a constant desire for growth and enlightenment I have been able to realign my behavior with my goals. Through this continued and deliberate perseverance, I know I can tackle anything in my path. I created this piece representative of past trauma. As with all of my protagonists, there must be hope and the potential for an escape from pain. This piece has a baroque essence, yet allows for contemporary influences. We are our own devils and our own angels. Only by embracing our demons, feeding our saints, and allowing our inner child to play, can we elevate our consciousnesses and continue along the path of enlightenment.

While attempting to describe my childhood trauma and subsequent decade of therapy within this space is almost impossible, I'll elect to feel gratitude for us all not having to relive the situation in too much detail. I am a victim of childhood abuse. My mother married men who violated me in ways I'll never speak of again and this led to a very complicated academic program growing up. I was often pulled out of school to hide bruises and marks. Once I finally refused to tolerate it anymore, my distant family helped me get into Idyllwild Arts Academy for my senior year. I couldn't have been more thrilled to be on the path of my dreams, however, once they realized how progressive and "liberal" the philosophies were on campus, they pulled me out. Over the next seven months, I was locked in a dark room in Utah and subjected to so many creative forms of torture, I have had more than one therapist ask me to stop. Once I was finally "allowed" to leave, it took me years to recover. Although, through years of therapy, and a hell of a lot of amazing people, I discovered that the pain never actually came from the physical pain, but from the abandonment. My family watched me be subjected to this and it is my duty to ensure that this never occurs to another child. While my family's hatred may have certainly derailed my academic achievement for a few years following the incident, I am now unstoppable. With a focus I haven't felt in years, I dove back into my studies. I have earned 22 A's and only one B with no intention of slowing down. I know that through a constant desire for growth and enlightenment I have been able to realign my behavior with my goals. Through this continued perseverance, I know I can tackle anything in my path. However, I think it is important to acknowledge that without this extensive trauma I don't believe my eyes would've been opened to the inspiration I've found within philanthropy. I have always found kindness in strangers. It is this ability to love, without responsibility or duty of any kind, only human beings helping human beings that helped bring me back to life. In my own work, I exclusively work within charitable projects, to varying degrees. My "Love is" concert series just completed its fourth year in coalition with the LGBT Center, where we raise money for those within the LGBT community without family or resources to return home during the holidays. This year's cast was entirely trans or non-binary. Additionally, this year, I hosted a charity dinner, which I organized and prepared myself. Two nights after the concert, on Thanksgiving, I invited over the very people we had raised money for. While I could list more specific charitable organizations that I've taken part in, including the Lancer Community News, which is a collegiate news organization I co-founded and anchored for during the pandemic as a means of keeping our community connected during an impossibly dark time, but I think the big picture is more powerful. I will always provide a platform for those who society has deemed inadequate to have a voice. If I can do one-tenth of what Tyler Perry has done for the black community, within my own LGBT+, I will have succeeded. I only wish to expand the scope of our perception, presentability, and future within the landscape of the American dream.