Art allows for escapism into different worlds while also creatively discussing real-world circumstances. For most of my life, I’ve been told that I am five things: dramatic, creative, compassionate, empathetic, and an old soul. I cherish being in a newly created world without worrying about anything else. These traits have guided my love for theater and film. When I was in middle school, I developed a strong interest in other elements of filmmaking, such as directing, producing, writing, cinematography, and costume-making. At my performing arts high school, I was the only person of color with a film concentration. This position meant I had to work twice as hard to ensure my voice was heard. The effort took a lot of energy, yet because film and theater are my life, I pushed through it. I was encouraged by teachers, peers, friends, and family to keep sharing my ideas and creating unique projects for the world. I always knew that being a black actress and creator who inspired other black girls was a passion of mine. My experience in the film and acting industry has validated my quest to tell the stories no one else would. Psychology has also been intriguing to me, especially mental health and generational trauma portrayed in cinematic arts. I am a mental health and neurodivergent advocate for youth of color. As a black neurodivergent person myself, I want to create stories that recognize the layers of mental health in historically marginalized communities through an intersectional lens. Since I was little, I have recognized that the portrayal of black people, especially in mental health, is usually surrounded by the concepts of hypersexuality, drug use, and harm to others. Though these topics need to be discussed, I want to share with the world that there’s so much more going on that we ignore; additionally showing black youth that they are not alone. I am incredibly grateful that I have been accepted into my dream school, Spelman College, where I intend to major in Documentary Filmmaking and a double minor in Psychology and Theatre and Performance. By attending Spelman, I will join a sensational community that hears my voice while participating in studies under black scholars and professors such as Filmmaker and producer Dr. Akoya Chenzira. Additionally, I look forward to the various opportunities they provide, including the HBCU domestic exchange program with the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. As a cinematic storyteller, I have made it my mission to advance my storytelling through film as a catalyst to confront the barriers in addressing mental health services for youth of color worldwide. Through what I learn in my major and other studies, I know that I will be able to achieve this goal. Art is my second voice, and I will always use this voice to change the world.

Art allows for escapism into different worlds while also creatively discussing real-world circumstances. For most of my life, I’ve been told that I am five things: dramatic, creative, compassionate, empathetic, and an old soul. These traits have guided my love for theater and film. I cherish being in a newly created world without worrying about anything else. By middle school, I developed a strong interest in other elements of filmmaking, such as directing, producing, writing, cinematography, and costume making. At my performing arts high school, I was the only person of color with a film concentration. This position meant I must work twice as hard to ensure my voice is heard. The effort has taken a lot of energy, yet because film is my life, I pushed through it. I have been encouraged by teachers, peers, friends, and family to keep sharing my ideas and creating unique projects for the world. I always knew that being a black actress and creator who inspired other black girls was a passion of mine. My experience in the film industry has validated my quest to tell the stories no one else would. Psychology has also been intriguing to me, especially mental health and generational trauma portrayed in cinematic arts. I am a mental health and neurodivergent advocate for youth of color. As a black neurodivergent person myself, I want to create stories that recognize the layers of mental health in historically marginalized communities through an intersectional lens. In film and television, we can see the lives of fictional or nonfictional people we empathize with or relate to. Since I was little, I have recognized that the portrayal of black people, especially mental health, is usually surrounded by the idea of hypersexuality, drug use, and harm to others. Though these topics need to be discussed, I want to share with the world that there’s so much more going on in black and brown communities, which we ignore. As a cinematic storyteller, I have made it my mission to advance my storytelling through film as a catalyst to confront the barriers in addressing mental health services for youth of color worldwide. Through what I learn in my major and other studies, I know that I will be able to achieve this goal. Art is my second voice, and I will always use this voice to change the world.

For most of my life, I’ve been told that I am five things: dramatic, creative, compassionate, empathetic, and an old soul. These traits have guided my love for theater and film. I cherish being in a newly created world without worrying about anything else. My passion for acting has sustained and evolved as I gained more experience through drama classes and auditions, leading to being cast in various films, commercials, and television ads. By middle school, I developed a strong interest in other elements of filmmaking, such as directing, producing, writing, cinematography, and costume making. However, my ideas and stories were undermined in film production classes throughout my high school experience. I attend the Pioneer Valley of Performing Arts, where I am the only person of color with a film concentration. Being the only one has meant that I must constantly work twice as hard to ensure my voice is heard, which has taken a lot of energy; yet, because film is my life, I pushed through it. I have been encouraged by teachers, peers, friends, and family to keep sharing my ideas and creating unique projects for the world. I always knew that being a black actress and creator who inspired other black girls was a passion of mine. My experience in the film industry has validated my quest to tell the stories no one else would. Psychology has always been intriguing to me, especially mental health and generational trauma portrayed in film and television. I am a mental health and neurodivergent advocate for youth of color. Sadly, discussing mental illness and neurodiversity is commonly looked down upon in communities of color. However, I have been privileged to learn about mental health from my mother and through independent research like school assignments, mental health surveys, and general research in my free time. As a neurodivergent person of color myself, I want to create stories that recognize the layers of mental health in historically marginalized communities through an intersectional lens. In film and television, we can see the lives of fictional or nonfictional people we empathize with or relate to. Since I was little, I have recognized that the portrayal of black people, especially mental health, is usually surrounded by the idea of hypersexuality, drug use, and harm to others. Though these topics need to be discussed, I want to share with the world that there’s so much more going on that we ignore while showing black youth that they are not alone. I am incredibly grateful that I have been accepted into my dream school, Spelman College, where I intend to major in Documentary Filmmaking and a minor in Psychology. Attending Spelman will join a sensational community that hears my voice and study under black scholars and professors such as Filmmaker and producer Dr. Akoya Chenzira. Additionally, I look forward to the various opportunities they provide, including the African Diaspora & the World Program and the HBCU domestic exchange program with the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. As a cinematic storyteller, I have made it my mission to advance my storytelling through film as a catalyst to confront the barriers in addressing mental health services for youth of color worldwide. Through what I learn in my major and other studies, I know that I will be able to achieve this goal. Art is my second voice, and I will always use this voice to change the world.

My namesake, writer Maya Angelou, once said, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” I aim to maintain these values and use my filmmaking passion to inspire others, especially young women of color. Throughout my life, my mother has worked in higher education; she focuses on student support, diversity, and inclusion. When she started working at Mount Holyoke College, my eyes were opened to so many learning experiences. Not only was I old enough to observe the meaningful conversations happening around me, I was able to be fully immersed in experiences for my age. A primary example that comes to mind is attending the annual Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference. My mother and her students founded this conference ten years ago, and it has been a beautiful experience for the community. I reflect on attending some of the first workshops around black hair for young girls to a workshop this year about black poetry and artistic activism. Witnessing their hard work for marginalized groups in the Western Massachusetts community inspired me to do the same thing from elementary school to post-college. These empowering experiences taught me about community, guidance, and open-mindedness. As an ambiverted performer like, I’ve grown to adapt to my surroundings. As I have grown, I have learned to speak up and stand against the suppression I see around me. Now, I am a head member of my school’s senior committee for funding, an active member of our Black Student Union, an upcoming young black businesswoman, and so much more. I realized that I have a voice and should not be silenced. I can be assertive and adapt to different situations as a leader. When I think of how I want to empower those around me, I think about young queer neurodivergent black girls who struggle with being represented on media such as television and movies positively. Every day, my brain is flooded with new visual ideas and stories that I now know should not be hidden because of my intersectional identities. As a cinematic storyteller, I have made it my mission to advance my storytelling through the film as a catalyst to confront the barriers in addressing mental health services for the youth of color worldwide. Art is my second voice, and I intend to speak on essential subjects that are still forgotten. In addition, as a future student at Spelman College, I promise to uphold their empowering motto, “A Choice To Change The World”.

I love thinking about all the black women I have learned about throughout my education. Maya Angelou, Shirly Chisholm, Audrey Lorde, and many more; however, I would prefer to acknowledge the woman who showed me all of these fantastic women in the first place–Latrina Denson, my mom. From the projects in Louisiana, she is now an Associate Dean of Students at Mount Holyoke College, all while doing this independently as a single parent. I look up to her charisma and selfless values. She taught me that leadership needs to be about community, flexibility, guidance, open-mindedness, and assertiveness. Now, I could go on and on about how amazing Ms. Denson is just as a mother, but I wish to acknowledge more than that. Throughout my life, she has worked in higher education; she focuses on student support, diversity, and inclusion. When she started working at Mount Holyoke College, my eyes were opened to so many learning experiences. Not only was I old enough to observe the meaningful conversations happening around me, I was able to be fully immersed in experiences for my age. A primary example that comes to mind is attending the annual Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference for the past 10 years. Ms. Denson and her students founded this conference 10 years ago, and it has been a beautiful experience for the community. I reflect on attending some of the first workshops around black hair for young girls to a workshop this year about black poetry and artistic activism. Witnessing all the hard work Ms. Denson and her students have done for marginalized groups in the Western Massachusetts community inspired me to do the same thing from elementary school to post-college. She taught me about community, guidance, and open-mindedness. My career aspiration is to use film and acting to create stories. Through these stories, I will advocate for youth of color and the lived experiences people forget about or stereotype. As an ambiverted performer like Ms. Denson, I’ve grown to adapt to my surroundings. As I have grown, I have learned to speak up and stand against the suppression I see around me. Now, I am a head member of my school’s senior committee for funding, an active member of our Black Student Union, an upcoming young black businesswoman, and so much more. I realized that I have a voice and should not be silenced. I can be assertive and adapt to different situations as a leader. All in all, my mom has been my role model for how to be a leader in my communities and organizations. When discussing my experiences as a leader for social justice with my friends, they sometimes ask, “Why do you always mention your mom?”. My answer… It’s because she was the first activist I ever met. Of course, she is my mom and has provided me with gifts and an excellent education, but those things are temporary. What will last forever are her values and motivating drive. My mom taught me how to implement my art into activism and fight for my beliefs. I would never trade her hard work as a mother, her role as a hardworking woman of color, and the life lessons I have gained from her guidance for anything.