"Be so completely yourself that everyone else feels safe to be themselves too." - Unknown When I think about how I try to stay true to my most authentic self in my daily life, I always think of this quote. Despite not being a very liked person growing up, I've learned the best way to live my truth is to be my full self even when it is not always received well. Although I understand that lesson now, it was not always like this. In the past, I felt bogged down by others' expectations and opinions of me. The society of today puts heavy pressure on young people to fit a specific mold or construct that is typically very limiting. With the weight of handling a specific, falsely positive presence on social media and in person, growing up and finding my place in the world felt almost too difficult to do. Through the many phases I went through on the tough decade long journey to really knowing who I am, I got very mixed reviews from those around me. It took me until my final year of High School to actually begin to understand that I do have worth, even if I'm treated by others like I don't. Flash forward to today - I'm a full time High School Art Teacher that is openly non-binary and queer. Despite my hiring fears relating to being openly who I am, I fought against my past instinct to fold to someone else's will. Now that I'm actually living my truth, I know I've been able to help countless students of mine work towards finding themselves too. Being able to help my students stay true to themselves just by being who I am is truly one of the most fulfilling aspects of my life!

Empathy is arguably the lifeblood of the human experience. The constant routine of mundane life provides an internal struggle sometimes that can be hard to break. But even with these challenges, dismantling this cycle and prioritizing others above ourselves is truly the formula to shaping a more peaceful and loving world. Ever since I was little, I've always been interested in the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others. This fascination with appreciating all the little things that make us different and how one good deed at a time can create larger change has been a constant mantra in my life. Although I experienced significant, sometimes violent bullying through my upbringing, I never lost sight of my belief in others. It was a hard lesson to keep consistent in my mind when I felt like no one else felt empathy for me the way I did for them, but it was necessary for my well being and development. Today, I am an art educator, artist, and lover of psychology and all things personal to those around me. My empathetic soul has led me through some of the best experiences and people I've had the pleasure of knowing and for that I am eternally grateful. Without my constant pool of feelings for those around me, who knows where life would've taken me. Even at my lowest points mentally, my love and hope for other people in the world kept me sane and convinced that being alive is probably better than the alternative. Connecting with others through conversation, sharing of emotions and experiences, and commonalities we all share is genuinely my favorite thing in life. Transcending past social barriers and realizing we're all people that deserve love, appreciation, and support is necessary for true happiness. And in that sense, I am truly happy.

As an artist, I've picked up many hobbies over the years. Although many of these relate back to art and creation, they all have provided me with different products, outcomes, and growth. When I was little I knew I always wanted to be an artist and an art teacher, but didn't know what types of art materials I liked. Throughout my childhood, I absolutely loved drawing and coloring. The joy coloring within the lines and creating ombre effects with colored pencils gave me was almost addicting. This eventually manifested into me creating my own characters and even selling some of my drawings for fancy pencils and other materials (until the school found out that is). Traversing through Middle and High School proved to be very challenging for me, so art was genuinely there for me when nothing else seemed to be. I stayed in at least 1-2 art classes throughout my upper levels of grade school and strengthened my observational drawing, painting, photography, and creative problem solving skills. Once I got to college, my entire art career and preferred hobbies drastically changed. Just like my dad, I'm an art educator that in general preferred working with 2D mediums. Through my dad's advice, I took my first Ceramics class after learning his first job was teaching with clay despite having zero experience with it. By the end of that first semester, I had an artistic epiphany where I felt like I finally found my calling as an artist. Flash forward to today, I have been working with clay and other 3D mediums including jewelry-making and metalsmithing for over 4 years and have never looked back. As a current Ceramics teacher, I can't put into words how thankful I am for my art journey - without it who knows where I'd be!