I will always believe that stories are some of the most important things in this life. Stories can be told through spoken word, song, dance, as well as poetry or visual art. As a lifetime creative, there was always something about the expansive way that films could create vast worlds that drew me in. Initially, I dreamed of becoming a director, as nearly all young filmmakers do. However, after exploring myself during my academic career, I found passion in both screenwriting and assistant directing.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the experiences I underwent at the University of Tampa. My world cinema course taught me just how small of a bubble I lived in regarding film, realizing just how many countless amazing films I had been missing out on simply by only viewing those in my native language. Without this class, I never would have discovered my favorite foreign film, Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso (1988), a love letter to cinema itself and a revolt against censorship. Screenwriting features, a course I took under Taylor Raye Curry’s guidance, taught me just how much rigor goes into writing a feature-length script. Nearly every time I watch a movie for creative inspiration, I map out the plot structure using the UCLA techniques that Curry incorporated into her teaching. Oftentimes we get caught up in the fantastical and neglect the real-world stories that films can also share. Aaron Walker’s documentary production course taught me much about the ups and downs of documenting real life and the unexpected turns that come with it. Lastly, it was in my cinematography course that I discovered an unexpected love of assistant directing. While screenwriting will always be my superpower, the hustle and bustle of communicating between different creative departments brings me great satisfaction as a production blossoms from start to finish.