"I’ve never met an artist that wasn’t inspired by a story, including me."
Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan
PBS Mentor Station: DPTV
Six-word Memoir: I make the quiet voices loud.
Why did you choose to get involved in storytelling?
I chose to get involved with storytelling I believe it is the basis to creativity in general. I’ve never met an artist that wasn’t inspired by a story, including me.
What story are you most proud of?
The story I am most proud of is a story I did on Tourette’s syndrome. Tourette’s syndrome is something a lot of people are ignorant about and most of people’s knowledge on it is based off of stigma. One of my close friends was recently diagnosed with tourette’s and I interviewed her for the story. People with this disorder often don’t speak up about it or correct misunderstandings because of the backlash they might receive. I created that story to reach out to scared people to say “I hear you, you matter.”
How can youth media change the world?
Youth media can inform the world during the pandemic by sharing how this pandemic is affecting different groups of people. There is a lot of mixed information and opinions surrounding the pandemic but there is one thing that is for sure, this is affecting our youth in high school and employed class a lot. By getting the youth out their and saying, “this is what’s happening and this is what needs to be fixed” is sharing the truth of the whole situation.
Who is your role model?
My role model is my dad. Growing up he never got to create the kinds of stories that he wanted but that didn’t stop him from achieving a lot. He traveled the world in his twenties and tells stories about it and how it helped him to me and my siblings. I admire how resilient and discerning he is.
