I live in Reynoldstown. I am a journalism student honing my communication craft through storytelling with podcasts. I am an arts beat reporter for The Signal and align the power of storytelling to these journalistic articles as well. In the future, I see myself living in Atlanta for some time after graduating, but not forever. As my family is here, Atlanta will always be home base. Though I possibly see myself living in Chicago at some point. Right now, the idea of settling down somewhere forever doesn’t sound great to me. I’d be very open to traveling with my job or possibly working remotely to some capacity, so that I can travel. To be honest, the places I want to do business in the future are the places I feel I must go at some point in my life. There is a drive in me to head East—my top travel destination is Japan, though any Asain country would be amazing. I would of course love to visit Amsterdam, but other than that Europe does not intrigue me as much as Asia.

Things I genuinely enjoy doing consist of being outside, being active and eating well, specifically by cooking with fresh ingredients. I find I am most blissful in spaces with others who also enjoy what I do, or possibly have other interests though they foster a symbiotic environment of encouragement. I also enjoy creating physical art as well as creative and journalistic writing. I find it satisfying to create both intentionally as well as in the moment through stream of consciousness. I also greatly enjoy editing footage as I find I can lose myself in that. I also heavily enjoy live music in spaces where I feel comfortable to really dance, as well singing and playing guitar and ukulele.

As I am transgender, I know more about that community, and most likely the LGBTQ+ community in general, than most people do. I also think that I know more about Buddhism than most people do as most do not practice it. I find that people easily confide in me as I am a trusting and genuine individual, so due to this, I think I have more extensive knowledge than most about underground scenes. Though I am not personally involved, I have developed street smarts by people openly sharing their stories with me.

I’d like to hone and develop skills in budgeting and managing finances. It would be helpful to understand the way that money really works. I know very little at all about the stock market and how that affects monetary value. I’d also like to further develop my skills with event management, specifically when speaking with clients, finding the perfect balance between professionalism and casualness. I would like to hone prioritization in regard to time: having the ability to plan my life so that I can do everything I want to pursue while not overworking myself by taking on too much at once.

I strongly believe that our time here on Earth is limited and that life is precious. We must use our time here to the fullest and express ourselves to the fullest. I value human connections and community. I value trust and honest communication. I value those who are genuine and compassionate people who are driven to create positive change. I also value open-minded thought.

I create value for my family as I am often the source of calming everyone when they are under times of stress. I also create videos for my entire extended family, documenting those times together. I create value for my school as I contribute to the Signal as an art-beat reporter. I create value within the DIY arts scene of Atlanta by curating a public event at The Bakery Atlanta every month for anyone to come and collage as a group. I also volunteer my time to The Bakery and help clean etc. Also in general, I find I am a talkative individual and have a desire to know people on personal levels, even in passing. I would consider this adding value to the community by forming connection with others. This applies to school as well. I create value for the natural environment as I sort all of my recycling and take it to the Dekalb Farmers Market as well as attempt to stray from single-use plastic etc.

In the next several years, I hope to have traveled, specifically with the intention of meeting people I would not have met otherwise. I desire to live like a local wherever I go, and I have not been many places. But also, I hope to venture to conferences and conventions in the future. I hope to be happy and feel fulfilled. So, whatever I do end up professionally pursuing should be helping people.

What opportunities could help you to achieve your future vision? Make a list.

• Study abroad
• Meet others through going to clubs and events that I find intriguing
• Offer mentorship/ a buddy- basically therapy without calling it therapy. I’d love to be someone’s person to talk to. I once roomed with an RA and found this one person who lived on the hall started coming to speak with me instead of my roommate. It was very fulfilling.
• Community service

I find I am good at delegating and overseeing. I often become the leader in group projects by nature, but not in an overbearing way, more-so just a guiding way. I am a strong writer and oral communicator to groups as well as individuals. I am also a problem-solver. Technologically, I think I am adaptable in having the ability to be skilled at any software.

Every month I curate collage night, a workshop open to the public at The Bakery Atlanta. I often am there to open the space for other events/ operating behind the scenes. Now that school is back up and running, I haven’t gotten to work in the community garden there, but that is something I love. Every week I give myself a testosterone injection in the leg. Socially, I often seek out art shows or house parties. I take the Marta every day.

I have held multiple leadership positions in student organizations as well as have had hands-on experience hiring people and managing entire events for clients, making sure it runs smoothly. I have worked at GSU’s PR and Marketing Department handling assets and communicating with university photographer freelancers as well as clients who get their headshots taken with the department. I have single-handedly managerially operated a facility while keeping its website updated. I have balanced extracurricular activities while maintaining a 3.99 GPA.

The plan to work remotely as a journalist is risky because at that point I am freelancing and managing myself which does not amount to the most stable of incomes. In order to offset this risk, I think having an outlet where that stability is guaranteed as well would be preferable.

People who know me say that I inspire them. I think I have the natural ability to uplift a room. I want to make every individual feel appreciated because everyone’s input matters and at the end of the day, we can operate more efficiently if we all operate together. People may see me as a far-fetched dreamer with this ideology and lack of competitive edge, but for the most part people trust me.