“I was never a Broadway girl. What attracted me most to theater was the weird, the absurdist sides of performance art. This past summer, I was lucky enough to fly abroad with some of my fellow students and professors to Berlin, Germany. There, I was able dive headfirst into some alternative forms of theater that I was unaccustomed to. I saw shows that provoked me, questioned me, screamed in my face, or simply grossed me out. And it was amazing. I often have an anxiety where I do not feel like an artist, stuck with feelings of creative unfulfillment. It would be too little to say that this experience reignited my passion. It was life-changing. Truly.”

“I found Rutgers based on actors I liked (psst psst, Sebastian Stan)…. I couldn’t think of any other place that would be perfect for me, because this is the place that I truly understand myself and the kind of artist I want to be, not tied down to being fit into a box or type…. I was also able to play with and explore characters that many may not see someone like me play, specifically in the play The Little Green Birdie this past spring as Barbarina, the female ingenue of the play. This opened up my efforts of advocating for plus-sized people and people of color in the entertainment industry.“

“The second I saw the extravagant lilac satin gown designed by Catherine Zuber for the “Shall We Dance?” number in the 2015 Broadway revival of The King and I, time seemed to slow as I watched it dance across the stage, each layer becoming a swaying ocean of glowing fabric, each stone glittering under the lights. My eyes welled, and I could feel my heart beating out of my chest as I was struck with the realization of my life’s purpose: to create.”

“The lessons learned through technical theater are extremely applicable to many areas of life and career paths. My family knows that whether I continue my career in lighting or end up on a completely different path, my education will help get me to where I want to be.”