And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, - what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, - will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him? And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?(Plato's Allegory of the Cave, 428 BCE) I wonder how many people recently have come up with completely new concepts. So new in fact, that they have to explain it as if they are telling someone directly while letting the audience catch on indirectly. Plato wrote “The Allegory of the Cave” in 428 BCE, and yet, is still intrinsically intertwined in modern conversations in regards to reality, awareness, and perception. It is easy to forget how different times might have been when reading from a glossy text book while listening to music off of my convenient streaming service, but a indicator of the changed times lies literally in the first line, Plato begins with the word “And”. Who does that?? Well, clearly Plato, because rules of grammar were just being established by the Greeks. Plato was writing, not as so many do to teach, but to enlighten. He was literally conjuring up a new idea, but it isn’t an easy concept to grasp. For lack of a better term, it could even be considered offensive. To accept the allegory of the cave means (most likely) accepting that you yourself are in the cave. People do not want to admit they are in the dark, and they don’t want to take on world views that contradict what they have known to be true their whole lives. An almost paradoxical question occurs at this stage of the allegory, if everyone decided that they are out of the cave, have we just built a new cave?

I am not considered a student athlete, in fact I have not played a school sport since Freshman year, but throughout my life I have played 10 sports, many of which have been through the school. All throughout elementary and middle school, I played sports and loved them. The team environment makes me feel important without thinking about myself, gives a goal this is not just relevant to my own life which I believe is a feeling we should all strive for. I may not play organized sports any more, but I do still get to enjoy this feeling because I am an actor. Putting on a show gives me the same rush I used to get when my team won games. Now when I am on stage I think of each line of dialogue as a pass, effectively moving the scene as I used to move the ball to the net. I still engage in lots of activity, but it isn't the same as team sports. I love to rock climb, and the gratification of finishing a climb is great, however it will never compare to meeting a goal as a team. It means more when you know everyone put in their full effort in order to bring joy to a group. I was a highly competitive ski racer up until my sophomore year, racing up to 4 days a week. This gave me a purpose, to improve my technique and keep getting faster, but I lost some of the enjoyment when moving up competitively because the team was no longer a team. The girls I used to celebrate wins with were now ignoring each other, making rude remarks, and no longer sharing excitement for other girls wins. It was hostile. I was not interested in that level of competition, I wanted to focus on my own improvement while still enjoying the companionship of my team mates, but it felt like I was the only one. Even though I loved the sport, I was no longer getting joy from the experience because the environment was so hostile. I eventually found that the closest I could get to this team achievement without competition was in theater. We are all striving to create, but we cannot be against each other if we are going to succeed. I have been involved in dance classes for years, meaning when we put on musicals, I am a confident dancer, but instead of putting those with less dance opportunity down, I have the opportunity to help others and take on a teaching role. That feeling, of combining skills in order to put on the best production feels more team like than any sport I ever played

I am going into preformance art, but this does not mean I am planning to drop other art forms I engage in. I am actually thrilled that I will be in more preformance spaces, because I find a lot of inspirations for my visual art from preformance art. Recently I learned of Justin Pecks choreography and how he collaborates with musical artists to bring visions to life, his compositions are fluid and changing, full of life. I want my art to breathe in the way a dancer moves through a port de bras. This means that when I create visual art, I rarely plan. I have a picture in my mind that I rarely fulfill. I prefer to move through the process, asking myself if what I am doing is contributing to the concept I am trying to convey. To me, art is how I can express what I do not yet have words for, and sometimes, after creating, the words exist. I want to keep working to communicate concepts, and maybe these concepts do not read the same for every viewer but I am okay with that; I would even say that is the goal. Good art is often subjective, so maybe it is a measure of success for viewers to engage in disagreements as to what the meaning is. I was recently lucky enough to see the Guggenheim, where an exhibit called Going Dark was being shown; I felt this exhibit to be confusing when certain works were isolated, but when seeing it as a whole, it was incredibly moving. It conveyed the "cultural other", bringing in those who have felt that way, and isolating those who are normally portrayed in major cultural scenarios. Art like that inspires me, something that has meaning even for those that the exhibit not catering to. In the future I will be moving to a big city, and I am already thinking about how this will affect my art. I anticipate being in large spaces with more exposure to others will give me inspiration I haven't been able to tap into previously. I can surround myself with people who are interested in creation, because I think art is not just about making something, but investing in the idea of portraying a new concept for the sake of creation. Creation is how we as people can form incredibly strong bonds because we feel seen in a very raw way. Truly making art is vulnerable, and in the future that's what I want to explore.

The character Jim from the office has not only provided me with some great laughs, but taught me how to thrive where ever you are. It is no secret at the beginning of the show that Jim considers Dunder Mifflin Paper Company to be a temporary resting place until he moves on to bigger better things, yet he is pulling pranks from the beginning of episode one, joking around with his work mates. A lot of people will stay distant and checked out until they are satisfied with their scenario, not Jim. Jim makes relationships - both romantic and platonic - that last him for his whole adult life, because even though he is known as a prankster, he still cares about people, and knows how to form meaningful connections. Jim is one of those rare individuals who makes others feel seen. Whether is is teasing them, or simply asking about their home life, Jim knows how to make a room light up, even if the room is an office building. Jim also does not conform to what is expected, he is always keeping people on their toes, and personally, I think that this is because of how deeply he cares about others. Even though he is being silly and pulling dumb stunts, he knows it will brighten peoples day, give them something to look forward to in an otherwise dull environment. Jim is like the glue of the workplace, and I think that is an important lesson for any viewers of the hit show.

I am terrified of lattes. I have cried over lattes. I love lattes. I am aware of how crazy that sentence sounds, but it is true, the idea of a warm sweet latte on a crisp fall morning makes me shiver. I have struggled with an eating disorder since I was young, and the idea of liquid calories freaks me out. Yet, I love a pumpkin spice latte before school. The feeling of a warm drink in my hand as I sit in my first period class is a reason I look forward to the changing of the seasons. A pumpkin spice latte is my best friends favorite drink, and before last fall, I had never tried one because I was too scared. Last fall that all changed. My best friend and I were studying in a Starbucks during our morning off period, and I had been planning to get a black tea. My friend knows about my struggles with food, and while being incredibly respectful, is always challenging me to move out of my comfort zone because she knows I don't always have the courage to do so on my own. That specific morning she asked if I wanted to try her favorite drink, she was super excited about it and wanted me to share in her joy. I hesitated, for so long I hadn't allowed myself to indulge in the drinks I wanted because I felt I shouldn't "waste" my calories on a drink. Standing there, wrapped up in our fall sweaters and boots, watching the leaves swirl outside, I realized it was not a "waste" to get the drink I wanted. It was only adding to the joy of the season, and the relationship between me and my long time friend. I ordered a pumpkin spice latte. As we set up our computers and got to work, I felt anxious about the drink, but also proud of myself for trying something new, and participating in a classic fall activity. When our names were called, we walked up to grab our drinks and my best friend grabbed my hand as we took our first sips. All of a sudden, I understood why people love the pumpkin spice latte so much, it was warm and spiced, the feeling of coming home and curling up with a pet, the feeling of jumping in leaves as a kid. I continued to challenge myself throughout last fall and purchase the drink, because it is so much more worth it to indulge in what makes me happy than stick to some silly rules.

Olivia Rodrigo has been an inspiration to me since her early career, I remember seeing her star in an American Girl doll movie and thinking how talented she was, just a few years older than myself and already such a positive role model. Rodrigo continued to shine, releasing music and acting, proving a healthy role model, and a talented artist. My freshman year of high school was when Sour was released, proving a perfect soundtrack to what was a difficult and confusing time. When I felt as if I was the odd one out, Rodrigo sang brutal, and when I felt melancholic at loosing important relationships she was there, singing hope ur ok. I have continued to appreciate her career and listen to her music, so when Guts was released during my senior year, I felt as if it was a perfect cap on my high school experience. I don't think anything could have dissuaded me from the album, but I couldn't have imagined how accurate to where I was in life Guts would be. Picking a favorite song from that album is a near impossible task, but the opening song, all-american bi*ch, really struck a chord for me. The song is upbeat, with a pop punk influence as is seen in so much of Rodrigo's work, but the very last verse switches it up, cooing through a lament that is so real for so many teenage girls, "All the time I'm grateful all the time I'm sexy and I'm kind I'm pretty when I cry" This is an almost startling verse after hearing the borderline screams of the rest of the song, but it fits into the teenage experience so well. To have to conform to the image that is expected from feminine presenting individuals, even when it feels as if nothing around you is fair. Huge amounts of pressure are put onto teenage girls; to look, act, and dress a certain way. This pressure builds and builds until it feels too much to handle, but there are still eyes on you, so if you want to be seen as put together (which is vital to be seen as if you want to be respected) you have to be "grateful", "sexy", and "pretty". These are not words that are used when speaking about teenage boys, and the is where some of the frustration stems from. You see that there is a double standard, and you feel how unfair it is, it pushes you to the brink, and yet you still have to uphold a standard that you feel is unreasonable, and you feel you cannot change. Olivia Rodrigo likely feels this pressure even more than most, as she is a public figure, so to have a woman like her express the same pain is particularly powerful, and makes being a teenager feel less lonely.

Ant Farm... plus, Hannah Montana... equals... the greatest crossover in classic Disney history! For one, it would be a crossover between Disney Channel and Disney XD, therefore combining two audiences in order to get more viewers for all shows and increase funding for two already popular shows. Moving on to the plot, imagine, a radio contest for best original composition by a teen singer. Naturally, both Hannah Montana, and Chyna Parks apply, but in a classic Disney channel caper, the submissions get switched and Hannah Montana's song, "Dancin' To My Own Beat", is announced to have won, and to have been written by the one and only Chyna Parks. Chyna is showered with praise by her classmates and family, gaining the popularity she typically lacks, all while feeling incredibly torn as she knows its immoral to accept praise for work that is not her own. Back in Malibu, Hannah Montana has realized the switch up and plots with Billy Ray Cyrus on how to deal with the mix up. The solution is to fly out to San Francisco to speak to Chyna Parks about collaborating on the song, that way both girls get the recognition they deserve. Chyna has been getting more and more popular at school, resulting in an assembly to highlight the ANT program, particularly Chyna's song. Now there is even more pressure as Chyna is representing all her friends, who are preparing for the assembly and are more excited than ever. The day of the assembly Chyna gets to school early as to rehearse, but decides she can't do it and runs out. As Chyna is leaving she runs into Hannah and Billy who stop her and confront her about the song. Chyna is apologetic as she believes they will be mad, but instead they comfort her and assure her that it isn't her fault. Miley and Chyna go on a walk and Miley talks to Chyna about the pressure of preforming and how she has had many confusing times when she doesn't know what the best choice is since she still has family and school to think about even though she is a pop-star. Chyna tells Miley she will admit to the school that she did not write the song, but Miley has a better idea! The girls will rewrite some of the song and turn it into a duet, debuting it at the assembly, where Billy Ray has spoken to contacts in the press and the preformance will be televised, therefore giving both girls the spotlight, and bringing even more attention to the ANT program. The assembly goes incredibly well, and preforming with Hannah Montana only makes Chyna more popular and gives more recognition to the talents of the ANT program. The episode ends with Chyna and Miley promising to stay in touch and visit each other. The episode title will be "Dancin' to the Wrong Beat', referencing the title of the song, and the switch up.

A green level of lily leaves Roofs the pond's chamber and paves The flies' furious arena: study These, the two minds of this lady. First observe the air's dragonfly That eats meat, that bullets by Or stands in space to take aim; Others as dangerous comb the hum Under the trees. There are battle-shouts And death-cries everywhere hereabouts But inaudible, so the eyes praise To see the colours of these flies Rainbow their arcs, spark, or settle Cooling like beads of molten metal Through the spectrum. Think what worse Is the pond-bed's matter of course; Prehistoric bedragoned times Crawl that darkness with Latin names, Have evolved no improvements there, Jaws for heads, the set stare, Ignorant of age as of hour- Now paint the long-necked lily-flower Which, deep in both worlds, can be still As a painting, trembling hardly at all Though the dragonfly alight, Whatever horror nudge her root. Nature is a dichotomy, and To Paint a Water Lily by Ted Huges discusses how it is difficult for a painter to accurately paint a landscape of this water lily and accurately tell the whole story, because it is not one dimensional. Hughes employs literary techniques such as a rhyme scheme and colorful imagery to show that for the beauty of nature to exist, there is a brutal truth underneath that is inherently difficult to portray, so the artist's task may not be properly achieved. The first two stanzas of the poem are surface level, the speaker lets the reader know that we are watching a landscape that is focused on water lilies. “First observe”, is a phrase employed to cue the reader to look deeper into the scene, and see the meat eating dragonfly, and the other “dangerous” creatures. The imagery here is battling itself, comparing words that evoke a feeling of calm in the first two stanzas, and switching to descriptors that put the reader on edge in the next two stanzas. The rhyme scheme, all though loose, also puts the reader on edge, because there is a dichotomy of beauty and destruction in nature, part of it is light, like the simple rhymes at the end of each stanza, but the dark part is in the words being used. The speaker does not believe that the task of painting nature can be properly executed because paint is 2D and will not be able to show this light and dark. Further into the poem Huges brings up the word “inaudible” which ties to the limits of the painters craft, inaudible is being used in reference to the violence of nature, but if no one can actually hear the “death-cries”, it is impossible to know of the death that occurs. This is another reason why the imagery that Huges has written helps to show the speaker's attitude towards nature as complex—beautiful words like “rainbow their arcs” being used to describe creatures with “jaws for heads”—this also shows the speakers view of an artist, who must choose which side to portray, the speaker doubts the painter can portray both. In the last stanza, the rhyme scheme breaks, the words “alight” and “root” not rhyming as they would have in the previous stanzas. Hughes did this as a final nod to the complex subject, a subject that does not have elements that fit nicely together, as shown by letting the two lines not rhyme, or fit together. This makes the speakers stance clear, they do not know if it is possible to accurately paint nature, even though the previous ideas have fit nicely into a rhyme scheme, and the comparison of positive and negative have been able to come together, that is not always the case, because nature is multi faceted and hard to capture by the task of painting it. Hughes has employed comparative imagery and a rhyme scheme in To Paint a Water Lily in order to teach the reader that nature is a complicated subject matter that is unlikely to be able to be accurately portrayed in an image.

I have worked and programed lights and sound, designed and managed costumes, worked crew, publicity, and stage management; yet I plan to go into performance. The only reason I have the luxury of feeling secure in pursuing acting is because of my experience in technical positions. Getting to work on both sides of the stage taught me the complexity of theater, even before putting in the work, I never doubted that tech is incredibly difficult, but the intricacies still amaze me. Preformance for me, is about connection, and without being able to connect with the other people in the cast and crew, there is no hope in connecting with the audience. Lost of my best friends are strictly technicians, and to come together in such different roles to put on a show is a level of collaboration I think is rarely found in other spaces. I plan to further this connection, where ever I am As magical as it is to be onstage, sometimes it is more special to watch. To sit in the booth and watch the audience slip into a world they did not know existed. To usher and see the delight on peoples faces as they leave, to stage manage and hears people questions on how such things could be pulled off as I reset props at intermission. I am simply itching to go to acting school - I will likely be going to conservatory because my hunger for learning is insatiable. I want to know everything I possibly can about theater and I want to feel secure in my work. I am going into acting because I love having a goal, an intention. Nothing is as fulfilling as setting an intention every time I step on stage, and getting to exit the stage and feel as if I completed a goal that eventually will communicate a feeling to someone sitting and watching my preformance. Even when I don't feel my goal was met, I don't beat myself up, instead it is an opportunity for reflection. Maybe I will sit and journal, decide if I need to alter my goal in any way so I can be more successful, or maybe I will talk to a cast or crew mate, asking if they have anything they are focusing, because if I am struggling in my preformance, I know that I can shift focus to them in order to elevate them.

Art has been and continues to be relevant in almost every aspect of my life. When I was still taking science based classes the teachers were always trying to relate to me through discussions of geometry used in painting, and science used in theatrical lighting; though that didn't make a difference in my STEM interests, every time they tried to connect, it reminded me of the deep passion I have for arts and how I need them involved in every aspect of my life. I remember the art teacher coming into my Kindergarten class to make projects with us, and the jealousy I felt for the older kids who had art class weekly instead of monthly because we did not get those elective style classes until first grade. The comfort I found in making something was a foreign world that I never wanted to leave. I discovered the preforming arts around a year later when my mom bought a book of Annie sheet music from a garage sale. I would come into school early for the music teacher to teach me the basics of reading music. After that, I never stopped grabbing at any arts I could find. Art classes, dance lessons, learning instruments, and taking the creative electives at school; I was ravenous for this world. Now, as a senior in high school, I am looking at going into a conservatory for performance and I could not be more excited. Finally the arts world will not be an area I have to dip into only when I am able, it will be my whole world. I think this passion, for not just preforming but for all creative endeavors is simply a need to express, and learning the proper technique and vocabulary to not only convey in performance but also reflection will allow me to bring this joy of expression to others. I have had opportunities to teach theater, and I get a lot of joy from teaching others to find the joy I find, because art is never ending. Art is fulfilling every time, and there is no end point, it is an inexhaustible source of positivity. Positivity and genuine connection are commodities in our current world, and I am so grateful to be involved in something that spreads those qualities to all observers and participants. Good theater is all about connecting to human instinct and emotion, and as I have learned taking higher level art classes, visual art is the same. In the end we are all looking to create a bond between artist and viewer. I plan to take my talent in preforming, combined with my continual learning in other art forms and reach more people; show people the joy that artists are lucky enough to experience.

As a woman going into acting, I am always looking for role models to follow who align with my values. Acting is according to some, an oversaturated industry, I however do not agree with this. Acting is an industry of individuals, so how could a field where everyone is doing something different be oversaturated? I follow Zendaya because she breaks limits that are often put on actors; she has played both light and mature roles, spanning media forms, genre, and type. This is the kind of actress I want to be. When I started acting I was often playing light and cheerful roles, campy characters who provide comic relief; not unlike Zendaya's Disney channel roles. Recently I have had chances to reach into more dramatic roles, and the challenge of these roles has been incredibly rewarding. I am always looking for new ways to push myself and one of these ways is vulnerability and realism, both exemplified in Zendaya's character in Euphoria, Rue Bennett. Euphoria is a show I frequently rewatch to study how the talented cast brings the audience into a somewhat exaggerated world while keeping the emotional work incredibly grounded. In the special episode, Trouble Don't Last Always, Zendaya takes on an incredibly difficult role of just talking. This may seem like a simple task, but making straight dialogue with no action to rely on believable is a near impossible task, and when I am struggling with a piece I often go back to this episode to analyze hoe Zendaya relies on human instinct, like breath and focal point to get emotionally charged info portrayed in a casual format. When I was a kid, Zendaya taught me that acting can be fun, and women don't have to just take what is throw at them, instead working to get what they want, and now Zendaya teaches me how to hone my craft in order to keep working towards what I want. So what I admire most about Zendaya is her ability to work in varied situations and roles and make them all meaningful.