Growing up in a family who is not so artistic nor showed any interest, it was unusual for myself to become an arts major. I stood out from the rest, always putting my best foot forward in any activities whether it was school, work, athletics, clubs, and volunteering. An uncommon interest I had was filmmaking. I found myself making home videos with friends starring as the talent and being the editor for my enjoyment. I got more involved at the age of 14 in a Video Production class at Shore Regional High School in Oceanport, New Jersey. After this course, I enrolled all throughout high school in classes such as Advanced Post-Production and IB Film: Junior and Senior Study. Since I was limited on enrolling in classes in high school, I decided to get involved with programs outside of the classroom. 

My first out of class experience was a program called Girl Stories at the Children’s Museum of Art in New York City. This was an all girl program to empower young women to become filmmakers, individuals, and encourage them to bring their unique perspectives into fields that are lacking a female voice. This program allowed me to experience independence and responsibility as I would take an hour train ride into the city on my Friday nights on my own at the age of 15. A year later, I got involved with another program at the Rutgers Digital Filmmaking Academy. I traveled 45 minutes to take a Thursday night class and learned more about the production phases as well as getting hands on with a production set.

I was not hesitant in accepting my admission into the University of Tampa as a Film and Media Arts student. I felt at home with the campus and location knowing this is where I wanted to be the next four years (and was I right.) My first year as a student I accomplished my transition from a BA to a BFA student, holding many more opportunities to grow. After applying to multiple internships, I was offered a paid video editor intern position during my sophomore year with Web Direct Brands located in Odessa FL. Also during this time, I won my first award for my animation Wake-Up Call that I spent nearly over 60 hours creating which included over 600 painted frames. This award taught me that hard work pays off if you put your mind to it. In my junior year, I joined the Army ROTC Program at UT and have realized how much I can do with my interest in film and media from a different perspective.

Now as a senior, I look back and reflect on all that I’ve done for my drive of film which allowed me to be where I am today. I have learned multiple different skills at my time at UT and continue to grow. My love for editing and post-production still remains as my top priority in the industry. I still stay hungry searching for work and proving that I have what it takes to make it in this career path.