Being an artist to me means being able to live outside of boundaries and walls. It means sharing your creativity to the world and letting others know that their creativity, interests, and goals can be achieved even when others tell you that they can’t. It can also mean being an outlet for you ,or others, to express how you feel, even when you feel like your words won’t do you justice. For me, writing scripts, making short films, doing photography, and sharing it with other creatives makes me and my art feel appreciated and welcome. Being an artist means making space for others no matter the age, race, or gender. It’s about providing opportunities and uplifting fellow creatives so they know people care about their art and dedication. Filmmaking and writing scripts is very personal to me. Through my years of middle school and high school, I suffered from depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. I was introduced to film and media through my grandma’s church and I soon began to love the process of making scripts and ideas come to life. It became the way I chose to express myself. For me, creating scripts is like reading a book, once I begin I have to finish. Creating scripts is important to me because I get to share a story that hasn’t been heard yet. Every person and character has a story that needs to be shared and deserves to be heard. Everyone deserves to be included and represented. I want kids to see one of my films and see characters that look like them so they can grow up knowing that there is space in the world for them and their creativity. I want to tell stories that will make people inspired and question the status quo. I want people to enjoy my films as much as I enjoy creating them. I want to inspire those behind me so they will know that you can dream big and be successful in spite of being from a “small corner” of the world. As an aspiring filmmaker, I want to expand my knowledge on how to make my thoughts, ideas, and scripts come to life and also help others do the same. One of my goals is to work on a set with well-known African American directors and producers such as Ava DuVernay, Issa Rae, Spike Lee, Lee Daniels and more. After graduating, I would also like to start my own company or non-profit to help support those who just like me, lacked local resources to pursue their passion in the industry. I want to create a space for people to establish community, that it is perfectly fine to step outside of their comfort zones to experience more of life.

I was three when my family relocated from New Orleans to Atlanta to escape Hurricane Katrina. It was difficult starting over. My family had moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and resided there for ten years. I’ve always loved to create art, whether it was doing photography, drawing, or creating a new dance routine with my sister. Being in the city inspired my creativity. During our time in Georgia, my parents divorced and we moved again. It was hard adapting from a large city where art and creativity was everywhere, to a town where the only thing I could see outside of my classroom windows were cows. I felt out of place, lonely, and trapped. Being in a small town took a toll on my creativity and mental and emotional health. I soon began to struggle with with depression and had frequent suicidal thoughts but then found comfort through writing scripts and reading. It helped me express my thoughts when I couldn’t speak. Being in my mom’s hometown, we attended her old church with my grandma. I discovered a love for film and cinematography after joining the church's media team. It opened up new opportunities and gave me another outlet for creativity. In the coarse of my sophomore year of highschool, I decided that being a film director was the profession I wanted to pursue. Often, I worry that I don’t belong in the industry, but I realize that I'm here to make an impact. Coming from a small town where film and art-related fields are not talked about very often, it is hard to leave an impact when your passion is labeled as a hobby. As an aspiring filmmaker, I want to expand my knowledge on how to make my thoughts, ideas, and scripts come to life and also help others do the same. One of my goals after graduating college is to work on a set with well-known directors and producers such as Ava DuVernay, Issa Rae, Spike Lee, and more. I would also like to start my own company or non-profit to help support those who want to be in the film industry. I want there to be a space for people to know that there is a community that will have their back and knows that it is OK to go outside of their comfort zone. Making films is very important to me, it is a way that I choose to express myself. Every person and character has a story that needs to be shared and deserves to be heard. I want kids to see one of my films and see characters that look like them so they can grow up knowing that there is space in the world for them and their creativity. I want to tell stories that will make people inspired and question the status quo. I want people to enjoy my films as much as I enjoy creating them. As an aspiring filmmaker, I want to expand my knowledge on how to make my thoughts, ideas, and scripts come to life and also help others do the same. After graduating, I would also like to start my own company or non-profit to help support those who just like me, lacked local resources to pursue their passion in the industry. I want to create a space for people to establish community, that it is perfectly fine to step outside of their comfort zones to experience more of life.

In my 7th grade year, my parents had divorced. My mom, sister, and I moved from Atlanta, Georgia to a small town named Benton, Louisiana. It was hard adapting from a large city where art and creativity was everywhere, to a town where the only thing I could see outside of my classroom windows were cows. I felt out of place, lonely, and trapped. Being in a small town took a toll on my creativity and mental and emotional health. I soon began to struggle with with depression and had frequent suicidal thoughts but then found comfort through writing scripts and reading. It helped me express my thoughts when I couldn’t speak. Thinking back to that time, I realized that even though I felt that no one was there, there were people who faced the same challenges as me and chose to express their pain as art and creativity just like I had. But I also knew that not everyone had the resources and luxuries of being able to express themselves in a way that didn’t harm themselves or others. My goal is to inspire those behind me so they will know that you can dream big and be successful in spite of being from a “small corner” of the world. As an aspiring filmmaker, I want to expand my knowledge on how to make my thoughts, ideas, and scripts come to life and also help others do the same. One of my goals is to work on a set with well-known African American directors and producers such as Ava DuVernay, Issa Rae, Spike Lee, Lee Daniels and more. After graduating, I would also like to start my own company or non-profit to help support those who just like me, lacked local resources to pursue their passion in the industry. I want to create a space for people to establish community, that it is perfectly fine to step outside of their comfort zones. Making films is very important to me, it is a way that I choose to express myself. For me, creating scripts is like reading a book, once I begin I have to finish. Creating scripts is important to me because I get to share a story that hasn’t been heard yet. Every person and character has a story that needs to be shared and deserves to be heard. Everyone deserves to be included and represented. I want kids to see one of my films and see characters that look like them so they can grow up knowing that there is space in the world for them and their creativity. I want to tell stories that will make people inspired and question the status quo. I want people to enjoy my films as much as I enjoy creating them.

I was three when my family relocated from New Orleans to Atlanta to escape Hurricane Katrina. It was difficult starting over. My family had moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and resided there for ten years. I’ve always loved to create art, whether it was doing photography, drawing, or creating a new dance routine with my sister. Being in the city inspired my creativity. During our time in Georgia, my parents divorced and we moved again. It was hard adapting from a large city where art and creativity was everywhere, to a town where the only thing I could see outside of my classroom windows were cows. I felt out of place, lonely, and trapped. Being in a small town took a toll on my creativity and mental and emotional health. I soon began to struggle with with depression and had frequent suicidal thoughts but then found comfort through writing scripts and reading. It helped me express my thoughts when I couldn’t speak. Being in my mom’s hometown, we attended her old church with my grandma. I discovered a love for film and cinematography after joining the church's media team. It opened up new opportunities and gave me another outlet for creativity. In the coarse of my sophomore year of highschool, I decided that being a film director was the profession I wanted to pursue. Often, I worry that I don’t belong in the industry, but I realize that I'm here to make an impact. I hope that my films inspire people to go outside of their comfort zone and not be afraid to insert themselves in spaces where they feel they are silenced, especially the youth and people of color, and for those who do not have the resources in there area to make their dreams come to life on screen. My goals after I graduate college is to start a nonprofit for those who love to create and to build a secure community for people to feel loved and welcomed. Learning about the film industry and all that it entails really fascinates me. Learning the different aspects of character development, cinematography and coloring could help me make my goal of becoming a filmmaker a reality. I always make sure that I am looking at my work through different perspectives, especially the perspective of the audience. Oftentimes, when I produce a script, I try to imagine being someone else and I then critique the piece. I ask myself questions like, “Am I still engaged?” Making films is very important to me, it is a way that I choose to express myself. For me, creating scripts is like reading a book, once I begin I have to finish. Creating scripts is important to me because I get to share a story that hasn’t been heard yet. Every person and character has a story that needs to be shared and deserves to be heard. Everyone deserves to be included and represented. I want kids to see one of my films and see characters that look like them so they can grow up knowing that there is space in the world for them and their creativity. I want to tell stories that will make people inspired and question the status quo. I want people to enjoy my films as much as I enjoy creating them.

A failure that I am most thankful for is not getting the leadership position I wanted on my school's flag line. I had been the co-captain of our school's flag line for two years. This year, co-captain and captain had been given to two other people. I was disappointed because I had worked hard to become captain, and it was given to someone else that hadn't been in leadership before. Even though I didn't get the position I had hoped for, I was selected to be in the National Honors Society and our school's Gold Jackets two days after the tryouts. To explain, Gold Jackets are students with high GPA's and good records that are chosen by the school to help with events. Not getting the position also allowed me to focus more on my goals for becoming a filmmaker and figure out who I am as an artist and a person.