“I graduated with my BFA in Film Production, from Santa Fe University of Art & Design. Through practice, strong work ethic and lots of patience, I went from an insecure thirteen-year old to knowing exactly who and what I wanted to be.” I definitely would have been written off as the troublemaker at any other school, but the ChiArts community of teachers recognized my potential and steered me in the right direction, a more focused direction. Attending any other high school at the time would have been a very different experience, not to mention it would have put me on a different path. “This decision to attend ChiArts was my first major move towards bettering my career and life, and it was a privilege. The pilot of a series I am in, Dearly Departed, aired just a few months ago too!” In spring of 2020, I start The Gospel at Colonus which will be at the Court Theatre in May. The film I am in, Beats on Netflix, has received a lot of positive responses, and this winter I was in DANCE NATION, the Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre. “Currently, I attend North Central College where I major in musical theatre. I have the audition materials that I need, as well as the knowledge and power that I have when it comes to my academics.” I don’t feel the pressure of deadlines and audition dates because I am prepared. ChiArts also helped me to properly use my time as an artist. I was given opportunities to perform, as well as grow academically so that I could be prepared with whatever college had to throw at me. ChiArts pushed me to be the best artist that I could be. I was a theatre kid at heart, and knowing that I would have the opportunity to major in something that I wanted to devote my life to was astounding. The idea of ChiArts was so much more than I could have ever imagined. “To be able to expand the knowledge of my craft in high school?! It was mind-boggling to me at the time. We provide free services in hair, barbering, beauty, and clothing to underserved citizens of Montgomery.” In 2017, my dream of founding my own nonprofit, Radiant Souls Community Service Organization, became a reality. I aspire to become a chiropractor specializing in therapy for professional athletes, dancers, and gymnasts. I serve as the 80th Miss Alabama State University and I’m majoring in Rehabilitation Services with a minor in Dance. “I currently attend Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. This allowed me to develop self-discipline and I learned to balance a heavy work load.” I was challenged overall in the arts and academically. ChiArts allowed me to grow as an artist, and my technique in multiple genres of dance greatly improved. I enjoyed being around such a diverse student body. I soon realized that I was in an encouraging environment and everyone was very accepting. I was also nervous about being surrounded by so many talented students and wondered if I would fit in. “When I came to ChiArts in 2011, I was very excited and interested in growing as a dancer. I’ve found a passion in composition and have been fortunate enough to have been commissioned to present new pieces of music in the past few years.” I recently released my first album as a leader on Blue Note Records entitled “KingMaker.” A lot of the music was written while at ChiArts, or directly inspired by friends and family during that time. I’ve been playing and traveling the world professionally, leading various groups as well as being a sideman to a lot of different groups here in New York. “I’m currently living in Brooklyn, and have been in New York going on five years. And as a result of those opportunities, I was able to meet a lot of the musicians who I still currently play with in New York and around the world, who are also some of my closest friends.” I grew from playing and practicing with my peers at ChiArts, as well as the different musical opportunities that we were fortunate enough to experience. From top level menus, use escape to exit the menu.“…I was excited! I was most obviously interested in jazz at the time as it was still fairly new to me and I’d only been playing the idiom for a few years. Within a submenu, use escape to move to top level menu parent. Use up and down arrow keys to explore within a submenu. Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menus.
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