Was it hard to be younger than the other students in VCS?

Yes and no. Yes because I felt the constant need to explain myself and be my best at all times to be taken seriously. Unfortunately, even in the most welcoming settings, stereotypes still exist. No, because there were incredible support systems of friends and professors who saw me beyond my age. And with a lot of growing pain and experience, I learned to turn those odds against me into fuel that drives me. Which ultimately gave me the nickname “Hyperdrive.”

During your time in the VCS program, what was your focus in terms of preferred mediums, studio practice, and the liberal arts classes and electives you wanted to take? Did your focus change over time?

I loved mixing foundational studio courses with unique liberal art classes that were specially designed like Women Make a Film. Vision & Color, and Media Studies. This mixture taught me that creativity is a tool that isn’t limited to a specific medium or space, and that everything is connected. And over time, I designed my own independent study courses to dig deeper, experiment, or to focus on my passion projects. I highly recommend an independent study program at VCS because you get to work with the best mentors and ask them a billion questions!

You were also involved with a lot of extracurricular projects, exhibitions, and other activities while you were in VCS. Can you describe some of those, and how they fit into your student life and your post-school career?

Yes! In my freshman year, I was still very much dealing with my personal trauma. So I focused on extracurricular projects that gave me a voice. I independently published a memoir called Swimming in Concrete with all the drawings and writings that I did at my darkest time.