Not many students can say that they have both worked and gone to school full time. When I graduated high school the message from my parents was clear: I was fully responsible for my finances. Going into college having to balance the demands of my course work with my financial responsibilities was a daunting task, but it was a challenge that necessitated my resilience. Confronted by these pressures I sought a promotion to a leadership role at my job. At the restaurant I was an “expo” meaning I controlled the flow of orders to and from the kitchen to the dining room. Going from expo to shift lead required me to adjust my skill set from managing the flow of service to being the leader that my teammates could rely on when things get hectic. My jump into restaurant leadership not only enabled me to finance my education but also gave me the opportunity to excel as a leader. The decision to immerse myself in the workforce, allowed me a rigid structure to fall back on as my discipline rather than relying on motivation, which waxes and wanes. dedication and work ethic. I could have easily succumbed to taking out loans but I knew work would build me up to be a better student. Understanding the value of hard work made me the obvious choice for shift lead since I was the person responsible for overseeing daily operations, managing staff, and ensuring customer satisfaction. These responsibilities demanded not only practical skills but also the ability to inspire and guide others. One notable instance of my leadership was on Fathers day when our restaurant faced an unprecedented influx of customers. With a team that was under pressure and ticket times were taking longer and longer, I took charge to reassign roles. I swapped my grill and fry cook. I hopped on the shake station and communicated my plan with the team, providing hands-on support and encouragement. This approach helped us manage the high volume of customers effectively and also boosted team morale, resulting in improved service and increased customer satisfaction. Another significant challenge arose when a sudden bread shortage from our distributor threatened to disrupt operations. In this situation, I took a “lead from the back” approach and prompted our waiters to suggest alternative options, and personally stepped in to go buy more bread to keep the shift moving. By being adaptable and thinking on the fly, I ensured that the restaurant continued to run smoothly, preventing any negative impact on our customers and maintaining a high standard of service. A good leader inspires others to fulfill their fullest potential and exercise their skills in a way that benefits the entire team. Through these experiences, I developed a robust set of leadership skills, including effective communication, team management, and crisis resolution. Balancing work and school required not only perseverance but also the ability to lead by example, motivate others, and manage multiple responsibilities efficiently. My leadership skills have been instrumental in my academic success and have prepared me to tackle obstacles head on. Doing challenging things has stimulated my confidence in all avenues of my life, be it personal, work, or, school. As I consider my next steps in life I take the lessons I've learned and work to apply them in ways that inspire others to fulfill their highest potential.

I had never seriously considered a career in the arts until the day I came across the Pazyryk Rug while doing some research for a fashion design project. Consumed by a Wikipedia rabbithole I was on an hour long tangent looking at ancient pieces of Persian art, each one more stunning than the former. After a while I had drifted from the original topic of the architectural remains of Persepolis to achaemenid jewelry and coinage to edged weapons to rugs. I clicked on an image of a tattered old rug, the Pazyryk Rug, the oldest rug discovered. So shocked at the existence of the 2500 year old rug, I enlarged the image and began to inspect it as best I could, and, amazingly, the color and bulk of the rug had remained intact due to a combination of precipitation and low temperature conditions in the royal grave in which it was buried. Everything about this handwoven rug was astounding to me; the design was much more complex for a rug of that era than I thought possible. The anatomical renderings of the elks on the rug show the weavers’ mastery of the loom, and repetition of the elements along the border, maintaining even spacing, consistency, and symmetry, also reflect their artistic prowess. Reflecting on the advanced construction and complex imagery of this rug, questions started swirling around in my mind. How many hours went into each and every knot in the pile of that rug? How many hands touched this rug before its final form came to fruition? What were these artisans encountering in their daily lives that inspired their patterns? Suddenly I was brought back to the moment, sitting in my backyard thinking about how this artform had been passed down through generations and reached me. After studying the rug and understanding its unique story, I felt the overwhelming need to share this discovery with everyone who would listen. Days later I found myself coming back to this experience, the desire to curate spaces that give these works context and allow people to experience the same intensity of emotion I felt coming across that artifact. Art History as a study connects us through place and time by giving us insight into the values and priorities of specific cultures; by responding to the culture art acts as a commentary, either by validating or subverting the norms of a society. Months later as I think back to that rug I understand how it compelled me to appreciate the transcendent nature of art. The decision to pursue a life in the arts allows me to feel such a profound connection with people whom I will never meet, like the Pazyryk people who were nomadic and had contact with my ancestors. The arts remind me that I am part of something much bigger than myself -- and I want to give others the opportunity for that transcendent experience as well.