Jim Halpert is an outstanding character. He’s a prominent, relatable figure known for his wit, charm, and seemingly normal social skills. As I reflect on myself, I find a large resemblance to Jim, particularly in the domains of compromise and social adeptness. First and foremost, Jim Halpert is characterized by his uncanny ability to navigate the complex web of office dynamics through compromise. His knack for finding common ground and avoiding unnecessary conflicts is a trait I identify with strongly. Like Jim, I recognize the importance of compromise for the sake of fostering a harmonious environment. In many episodes, Jim's talent for compromise is evident as he navigates the often absurd situations that arise in the Dunder Mifflin office. Whether it's mediating between Dwight and Michael or diffusing tension during office pranks, Jim showcases a balanced and diplomatic approach. He is often stoic. Similarly, I find myself naturally gravitating towards compromise as a means to resolve conflicts and build bridges between differing perspectives. Furthermore, Jim's social skills are a defining aspect of his character. Jim is known for his affability, quick wit, and ability to connect with a diverse array of personalities. In social settings, he effortlessly navigates conversations, making people feel at ease with his friendly demeanor and genuine interest in others. I find that this is something I get complimented on frequently. I make people feel seen when I speak to them and this ultimately creates the perfect environment for development. Much like Jim, I pride myself on my social skills. I value the importance of effective communication and building positive relationships. I find that my ability to connect with people aligns with Jim's charismatic and approachable nature. One of Jim's notable traits is his penchant for humor as a means of breaking tension and fostering camaraderie. His use of sarcasm and clever wit serves not only to entertain, but also to create a lighthearted atmosphere. In a similar fashion, I often find myself relying on humor as a tool to diffuse awkward situations and bring a sense of wading to social interactions. The parallels between myself and Jim Halpert from "The Office" become evident when examining our shared emphasis on compromise and social skills. The essence of Jim's character resonates with me, serving as a reminder that the ability to compromise and engage socially can be powerful tools in navigating the complexities of both professional and personal life.

I was encouraged throughout my entire life to paint, draw, color- anything that kept me quiet. I was a particularly whiny child, who cried at every opportunity. I have stories retold by my mother that explain the trials of her and my family members trying to keep my tears from disrupting the sermon. My mother would always carry a notebook and some writing utensils, just for me. If I was doodling, I was focused. Creating has always soothed my nerves. As I grew older, I was known in school for being creative. I was always drawing portraits at the lunch table, making rubber-band bracelets in homeroom, or having lip sync battles at recess. I have a few memories of being in class, doodling, and teachers harboring anger because of it. In the fifth grade, I was drawing a cartoon of Bugs Bunny. My friend was challenging me to an art competition. He was drawing too. My teacher came over behind me, snatched the drawing from under my hands, and balled up the drawing in front of me and the entire class. I was mortified. “Are you okay?” The girl sitting across from me knew how sensitive I was due to my previous infractions. I shook my head, and held back my tears. Another instance took place freshman year of high school, first period Spanish class. This particular teacher had a history of being overly stern, often mean. I already was not having a good day, so I silently sat at my desk and doodled on the side of my detention slip I had just gotten from this same teacher. “Maiya! Is there any reason you’re paying more attention to your little doodles instead of what I’m teaching up here?” I slammed my pen down and looked up at him with an attitude; I was irritated. “Pay attention.” “I heard you.” I said. I ended up crying silently at my desk. He noticed, then pulled me after class to ask what he did to make me cry. I came back after school for detention and drew all over his chalkboard. These two instances really could have broken me and my purpose. Instead, I continued to draw, paint, and cry. I refused to let anyone make me feel bad for feeling or channeling my emotions. I learned how to force my art to have the same feeling and passion as me. My art began to become more thematic and elaborate. My skills began to develop. I’m running this train out of spite for those who want to tear down passion for the sake of their own comfort.

I was encouraged throughout my entire life to paint, draw, color- anything that kept me quiet. I was a particularly whiny child, who cried at every opportunity. My mother would always carry a notebook and a utensil, just for me. Creating has always soothed my nerves. As I grew older, I was known in school for being creative. I was always drawing portraits at the lunch table, making rubber-band bracelets in homeroom, or having lip sync battles at recess. In the fifth grade, I was drawing a cartoon of Bugs Bunny. My teacher snatched the drawing from under my hands, and balled it up in front of me, I was mortified. “Are you okay?” The girl sitting across from me knew how sensitive I was due to my previous infractions. I shook my head, and held back my tears. Another instance took place freshman year of high school. This teacher had a history of being overly stern. I silently sat at my desk and doodled on the side of my detention slip I had gotten from this same teacher. “Maiya! Is there any reason you’re paying more attention to your little doodles instead of what I’m teaching up here?” I slammed my pen down and looked up at him with an attitude. I ended up crying silently at my desk. These instances really could have broken me and my purpose. Instead, I continued to draw, paint, and cry. I refused to let anyone make me feel bad for feeling or channeling my emotions. I learned how to force my art to have the same feeling and passion as me. My art began to become more thematic and elaborate. I’m running this train out of spite for those who want to tear down passion for the sake of their own comfort.

I was encouraged throughout my entire life to paint, draw, color- anything that kept me quiet. I was a particularly whiny child, who cried at every opportunity. I have stories retold by my mother that explain the trials of her and my family members trying to keep my tears from disrupting the sermon. My mother would always carry a notebook and some writing utensils, just for me. If I was doodling, I was focused. Creating has always soothed my nerves. As I grew older, I was known in school for being creative. I was always drawing portraits at the lunch table, making rubber-band bracelets in homeroom, or having lip sync battles at recess. I have a few memories of being in class, doodling, and teachers harboring anger because of it. In the fifth grade, I was drawing a cartoon of Bugs Bunny. My friend was challenging me to an art competition. He was drawing too. My teacher came over behind me, snatched the drawing from under my hands, and balled up the drawing in front of me and the entire class. I was mortified. “Are you okay?” The girl sitting across from me knew how sensitive I was due to my previous infractions. I shook my head, and held back my tears. Another instance took place freshman year of high school, first period Spanish class. This particular teacher had a history of being overly stern, often mean. I already was not having a good day, so I silently sat at my desk and doodled on the side of my detention slip I had just gotten from this same teacher. “Maiya! Is there any reason you’re paying more attention to your little doodles instead of what I’m teaching up here?” I slammed my pen down and looked up at him with an attitude; I was irritated. “Pay attention.” “I heard you.” I said. I ended up crying silently at my desk. He noticed, then pulled me after class to ask what he did to make me cry. I came back after school for detention and drew all over his chalkboard. These two instances really could have broken me and my purpose. Instead, I continued to draw, paint, and cry. I refused to let anyone make me feel bad for feeling or channeling my emotions. I learned how to force my art to have the same feeling and passion as me. My art began to become more thematic and elaborate. My skills began to develop. I’m running this train out of spite for those who want to tear down passion for the sake of their own comfort.

My name is Maiya Hall and I plan to sustain myself while being a full-time artist in the future. Art has always been something that I have been passionate about, honestly- one of the only things. Throughout my life I have tried so many things like sports and academic based extracurriculars, and none of them gave me the same freeing feeling of art. I believe that visual art is the only thing that will keep me sane and keep me grounded. My main goal as an artist is telling stories and expressing my emotions through my art. I want people to be able to relate to my art as I often find myself standing alone in my flood of feelings. I want people to see my art for what it is and I want it to resonate with them. I am a part of the Baltimore Youth Editorial, Charm Magazine. My role is to create positive relationships with our partners to help promote the organization and gain submissions and readers. Being able to be a part of this team is a great privilege. I have submitted many pieces as a kid and the publication made my art feel seen. Being able to provide this opportunity to other kids in the inner-city is truly a blessing. I have already started my journey with combining my art with business. I currently have a website where I sell prints, hoodies, shirts, stickers, and other apparel with my designs on them (Maiyapologies.com). I want to be able to expand this eventually and become more professional with my business and be able to expand in as many ways as I can. I believe that going to a university where I can learn how to cultivate my art into a more solid and sound business will be the most helpful. I plan on attending The New School: Parsons School of Design in the Fall of 2021. Surrounding myself with like-minded people who create for the same reasons as me will help push my motivation to create more for myself and subsequently, the world. Making art is my one true passion. I wouldn't trade my artistic skills for anything in the world. I just want to give others the same opportunity and to have their feelings and being validated. I want other people to feel the same passion I feel when I create my artwork, and school is a major push forward for my work.

My name is Maiya Hall and I plan to sustain myself while being a full-time artist in the future. Art has always been something that I have been passionate about, honestly- one of the only things. Throughout my life I have tried so many things like sports and academic based extracurriculars, and none of them gave me the same freeing feeling of art. I believe that visual art is the only thing that will keep me sane and keep me grounded. My main goal as an artist is telling stories and expressing my emotions through my art. I want people to be able to relate to my art as I often find myself standing alone in my flood of feelings. I want people to see my art for what it is and I want it to resonate with them. I am a part of the Baltimore Youth Editorial, Charm Magazine. My role is to create positive relationships with our partners to help promote the organization and gain submissions and readers. Being able to be a part of this team is a great privilege. I have submitted many pieces as a kid and the publication made my art feel seen. Being able to provide this opportunity to other kids in the inner-city is truly a blessing. I have already started my journey with combining my art with business. I currently have a website where I sell prints, hoodies, shirts, stickers, and other apparel with my designs on them (Maiyapologies.com). I want to be able to expand this eventually and become more professional with my business and be able to expand in as many ways as I can. I believe that going to a university where I can learn how to cultivate my art into a more solid and sound business will be the most helpful. I plan on attending The New School: Parsons School of Design in the Fall of 2021. Surrounding myself with like-minded people who create for the same reasons as me will help push my motivation to create more for myself and subsequently, the world. Making art is my one true passion. I wouldn't trade my artistic skills for anything in the world. I just want to give others the same opportunity and to have their feelings and being validated. I want other people to feel the same passion I feel when I create my artwork, and school is a major push forward for entrepreneurship.

My name is Maiya Hall and I plan to sustain myself while being a full-time artist in the future. Art has always been something that I have been passionate about, honestly- one of the only things. Throughout my life I have tried so many things like sports and academic based extracurriculars, and none of them gave me the same freeing feeling of art. I believe that visual art is the only thing that will keep me sane and keep me grounded. My main goal as an artist is telling stories and expression my emotions through my art. I want people to be able to relate to my art as I often find myself standing alone in my flood of feeling. I want people to see my art for what it is and I want it to resonate with them. I am apart of the Baltimore Youth Editorial, Charm Magazine. My role is to create positive relationships with our partners to help promote the organization and gain submissions and readers. Being able to be apart of this team is a great privilege. I have submitted many pieces as a kid and the publication made my art feel seen. Being able to provide this opportunity to other kids in the inner-city is truly a blessing. I have already started my journey with combining my art with business. I currently have a website where I sell prints, hoodies, shirts, stickers, and other apparel with my designs on them (Maiyapologies.com). I want to be able to expand this eventually and become more professional with my business and be able to expand in as many ways as I can. I believe that going to a university where I can learn how to cultivate my art into a more solid and sound business will be the most helpful. I plan on attending The New School: Parsons School of Design in the Fall of 2021. Surrounding myself with like-minded people who create for the same reasons as me will help push my motivation to create more for myself and subsequently, the world. Making art is my one true passion. I wouldn't trade my artistic skills for anything in the world. I just want to give others the same opportunity and to have their feelings and being validated. I want other people to feel the same passion I feel when I create my artwork, and school is a major push forward for my work.