Hello! Originally from New York City, I am a Chicago-based performer, creator, and storyteller. My career began at a young age when I worked with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players on their production of "Ruddigore" at New York City Center. I fell in love with storytelling and performing. I then worked with the organization Kidz Theater from 2010 until I graduated high school in 2017. During my time at Kidz Theater I grew into a more mature performer and person, playing roles like Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza and Ms. Hannigan in Annie. As I grew older, I began working more on the production side of Kidz Theater, assisting as an intern on multiple productions. From helping to run rehearsals, organize paperwork to working as a light board operator and sound assistant, I began to enjoy working behind the scenes just as much as being onstage. The most impactful part of my Kidz Theater experience was being an Ambassador for the organization from 2013-2017, which consisted of mentoring students and performing in Disney World with Disney Performing Arts (pictured above). I mentored students as young as six years old one-on-one and was a leader in the community, creating exercises and curriculum to help other mentors. Being an ambassador for Kidz Theater taught me how the power of storytelling can change people's lives and cemented my love and interest in entertainment. 

I attended the University of Chicago where I studied Linguistics and Cinema and Media Studies. During my studies, I had the opportunity to study screenwriting, film theory, animation, and film music. I was so intrigued by the latter that I wrote my undergraduate thesis on the impact of film music, entitled "Unbridled Intertextuality: How Music Generates New Meaning in the Age of Multimedia," advised by Professor Berthold Hoeckner. My time at UChicago changed the way I saw film and sparked a new passion in writing and creative development, particularly feature film and television development. As a Linguistics major, my main focus was American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Studies where I completed all of the possible courses on the topic that were offered. My passion for ASL began in high school, and being able to learn not just the language but more about Deaf culture and history was one of the highlights of my undergraduate career. 

While at the University of Chicago, I was also heavily involved in theater. In my first quarter at UChicago, I was cast in my first production with University Theater, the main and largest theater organization on campus, and continued to perform with them until I graduated. During my time at University Theater, I had the opportunity to play roles like "The Old Man" in The Old Man and the Old Moon and "Young Woman" in Machinal (pictured left). Although balancing my academic workload with a heavy rehearsal schedule was challenging, it was worth it to perform in these exceptional shows.  I also worked as the Production Manager for the mainstage production of Julius Caesar. Our team had only six weeks to put on a full-scale production, which meant I had to be very diligent with deadlines. I led production meetings with all the designers, making sure everyone was on track while also working towards the same creative vision. This experience was instrumental in learning how to manage a team while also developing my interest in production management. 

Perhaps one of the most exciting opportunities I found at UChicago was as a judge for the University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt, otherwise known as Scav.  As a judge, we are tasked with running one of the biggest scavenger hunts in the world; however, during my first Scav in 2020 we had to adapt to the current circumstances by creating a completely digital hunt in a fraction of the time we usually have. I took on the responsibility of organizing and compiling all of our files and assisted in live-streaming events with up to 350 participants. After seeing the engagement from students and the need for a more uniform way to disseminate information, I reinstated the Scav PR position. In my time as the Social Media and Marketing Coordinator for Scav, I have created an instagram account, increased content production, and created new marketing campaigns for the unique brand. We have seen a growth in following not just amongst the University community but outside of it as well, and hope to continue to reach potential scavvies from outside the University. 

I recently served as the Entertainment Editor for news media start-up Quibbl in the summer and fall of 2020. Beyond writing my own entertainment-based content on a tight schedule, I also ran a team of writers and edited their work. During my time, the entertainment team’s content output grew over 100% and my articles consistently received the most clicks from our site’s visitors. I also spearheaded their marketing team, helping do market research and create new content. I then worked as a festival programming assistant for the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival at Facets Multimedia in the fall and winter of 2020. I wrote about films from all over the world and created discussion questions for Chicago Public School students and general audiences. This taught me how to dissect a story from different audience member’s perspectives and write about film in an accessible way. One of my responsibilities was to collect and organize materials for over 200 films in the festival on a tight schedule. I learned how to manage our Microsoft Excel database, attending to each film with detail, and making sure all our information was correct. Both of these experiences were incredible opportunities to learn more about the industry and extend my interest in the manaagerial and production aspects of entertainment. 

About Me