To date, my favorite work I've created was a piece I called my "Dyke Necklace", a work in which I created form cardboard and paper mache a giant (4ft) carabiner and attached larger than life keychains to this carbainer. Each keychain is a recreation of a keychain from a real-world queer's set of keys, as many queer folks use keychains as a feature of flagging out in the world to safely identify each other. I interviewed queer folks, specifically those who identify as 'dykes' form a variety of backgrounds and generations. I gained valuable perspectives on the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, how flagging has changed through the ages, and what it means to live openly as a queer person. I plan to continue a version of this project in the years to come, and I am excited to share my passion with queer history and art with the world.

My single mother has raised me her whole life while working a full-time job as an emergency room doctor, and she has done it all with grace and unwavering confidence in her and my abilities. When I was young I had nannies and babysitters, but never did that take away from the close relationship I had with my mother. Being an only child and being raised by one parent was sometimes quite difficult as a child, when I visited friends' houses there was always something happening, siblings running around, big family dinners being cooked, and board games spread out in the living room. My house was different, it was quiet and still, dinners were just the two of us and we usually resorted to card games, most board games need 3 or more people. Even in this stillness and quiet, we found ways to share immeasurable love. We had an ever-ongoing game of Gin Rummy, found shows we were both fond of and watched together weekly, and had long-running inside jokes that no one but us understood. Even when we would argue or butt heads, I knew it wasn't the end of our relationship, but a test of its strength and that strength always showed through. This strong relationship, in harmony with the time I spent alone at home, shaped me into who I am. Sometimes people find a hard time understanding the time spent alone, with my mother out working, helped make me who I am. They think I must have been lonely or upset, but I never was, I was free to explore my time and choose to do with it as I pleased. I am in all senses a creative, I have been an artist from a young age and I find time alone the best way to reach into my mind and pull out the most imaginative of ideas. This time allowed me to think and express unimpeded, paint, draw, write, to sculpt. And then, when my mother came home tired after a long grueling shift at work, I would show her my creations. And she was always so proud of me. My mom always supported me in my creative endeavors and now I'm working towards a college bachelor's degree in fine arts, thanks to her support. My mother is an inspiration to me to keep working for what I want. She never said anything was impossible for me to achieve. I told her once I wanted to be an astronaut (now I'm leaning more towards a minor or double major in physics) and she didn't say it was silly or unrealistic, she told me to make a plan and work for it. She followed her passion for medicine and became an incredibly skilled and qualified doctor her peers look up to. Not only that, but she raised me with love and care while continuing her passion. She inspires me to know that anything is possible with work and dedication, nothing is too unrealistic or outlandish, as long as you are willing to put in the time and the passion. Now I can live my life never giving up on my dreams, thanks to her. (And I'm really great at Gin Rummy.)