Where I’m From:
I like to tell people that I have lived my whole life on I-20. I was born in Midland, Texas because there was no hospital in Big Spring, Texas at the time. Just before kindergarten, my family moved to Mansfield, Texas for my dad’s teaching job at Mansfield Legacy High School. As with anyone living in DFW, I actually lived in 3 different cities. I lived in Arlington city limits, was zoned for Kennedale schools, but did everything in Mansfield. For college, I moved back west to Abilene, Texas where I attended Abilene Christian University.
My Passion:
A professor once told me that every time human beings learned a new way to communicate it changed who we are as a species. Language, writing, the printing press were tools that reshaped the human experience. In this moment of time, we are in the Wild West era of the newest communication development, social media and instant mass messaging. I am passionate about finding ways to ensure we use this new tool for connection and collaboration instead of disinformation and hate.
My Tentative Career Goals:
Due to my passion for helping ensure media tools are not used for disinformation or misinformation, I would like to spend the early part of my career gaining experience in ethical media production whether that be through film, broadcast, marketing, or platform engagement. I want to gain a comprehensive understanding of the media landscape and its effect on the human experience. Then, I will take my knowledge and work to enact solutions to our crises of disinformation, loneliness, and media related mental health issues. I don’t yet know what avenues my career will take me to lead to this goal. However, I can envision myself contributing to this cause through politics, policy making, activism, journalism, or generally leading by example with healthy, ethical, and positive media production.