Don’t be too fooled by the scowl - I was an incredibly shy kid. Socializing was excruciating to me and nearly always sent me into a panic. I had only a handful of friends I felt safe around, and I spent the vast majority of time watching television like it was my job. I would always watch my favorite shows and think, “man, that would be so fun, but I’m way too shy.”

Joke’s on me. In 8th grade, I somehow became adopted by my middle school’s theatre kids. They gently peer-pressured me into trying out for the spring musical. I agreed mainly because it was an excuse to hang out with my friends more. When we got to opening night, everyone around me kept talking about having butterflies in their stomachs.

So I checked in with myself. No butterflies. I was actually completely calm and grounded, for maybe the first time in my life. That moment remains one of my strongest memories from my childhood.

I very rapidly became obsessed with theatre - took Drama all four years of High School even though I only got credit for two, did my best to participate in every play and musical, volunteered to stage crew the Middle School’s shows. I learned how to do lighting, sound, set building, costuming, and ended up co-directing a play with my best friend during senior year.

But ay, here’s the rub: I’m the daughter of an aerodynamicist/mathematician and the younger sister of an Ivy League neural engineer. I’m naturally pretty good with math and science myself. So I guess my parents were rightfully shocked when I suddenly wanted to become an actor. Oops. Unfortunately for everyone, I’d grown into an incredibly determined and stubborn individual. So here we are! Woo!

I’ve spent the last [REDACTED] years training, working, and building a performing arts career I can be proud of. And I’m excited to spend countless more years continuing down this path. Hit me up if you ever need an actor with a specialty in withering looks.

If you read this whole thing: congratulations on having an attention span. I’m proud of you. Don’t let the internet turn your brain to mush. Learn from my mistakes.

But more importantly: thanks for listening to my little backstory.