Sometimes when I look in the mirror I see the women who have came before me and who are still with me. These resilient, strong, and powerful women drive my need for excellence in all that I do. My mother provided me with all that I needed to complete a bachelors degree in Theatre at New York University. She scarified so much to see me succeed and I want to give that back to her in ways she can't imagine. Her excellence makes me want to be excellent. It is not easy being a black woman in performing arts. I have to raise my voice to the highest volume just to be slightly heard. I have dealt with people who simply ignore my existence, and for that I have to constantly perform to my highest ability just so they can't deny me. However, the pressure of adversities and hardships can create a beautiful diamond. The stamina and drive cumulated pushes me forward in my acting career to make leaps of faith, such as auditioning for Yale University's David Geffen School of Drama. While I didn't get in this year, I plan to continue to make this leap until I land on the other side. For now, I plan to settle a life in Houston, Texas and gather knowledge from the historical theatre districts they have. I am excited to see what life in theatre has for me once I graduate. In Spring of 2023, I initiated in the greatest sorority ever, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. I serve as the hostess for my chapter, and we have contributed greatly to the Harlem community. These include food and clothes drives, book donations, tutoring, and events that we host for college women all across Manhattan. In 2022, I volunteered at my local community theatre in Texas, Inspiration Stage, during the summer. My job was to engage and introduce children into the musical. I also have volunteered at my local animal shelter and the Houston Food Bank. The Lee Strasberg Film and Theatre Institute brought me my greatest accomplishment. The first two years of undergraduate acting training was extremely difficult for me. I was having a severe culture shock going to New York from Texas, and my teachers at the time treated people of color unfairly. I did not receive the help that I needed and had to seek it out myself. When I received my acceptance to Strasberg's selective acting program called Practicum, it was the beginning to a journey to my first acting role ever. Learning about method acting opened my eyes to a world where the craft made sense and I had a support system around me to help me with my struggles. Being my character, Mimi, in the show Lisa was nirvana experience. I was reaping the fruits of my hard labor and on the last night of the show, I felt fulfilled as an actor. I know the women in my family have strived for excellence in all that they have done, and I plan to follow them in their foot steps. To be a woman of excellence is to be a woman who pushes through adversity and trauma to come out on the other side stronger than ever. She realizes her beauty, worth, and talent, and lets nobody deter her values. I am a woman of excellence because I will show up and show out despite everything.