Link to write up.

In the summer of 2024, I wrapped filming of my documentary exploration of lead poisoning in Cleveland, "Toxic Legacy: Cleveland's Lead Crisis and the Individuals Working to Solve It." Throughout this summer, I connected with individuals in Cleveland ranging from the director of Public Health to a city councilwoman to leaders of nonprofits organizations. I sought to understand the complex racial, economic, and environmental issue as it intersected with city policy and local advocacy. This documentary additionally featured Chris Maurer, the founder of the Redhouse Studio, whom I completed an internship with in my junior year. My mentor, Moe Taylor of BrainDaggerFilms, assisted me throughout this process, but I taught myself how to edit using Adobe software PremierePro, Envato, and several other programs. The project deadline is May 1st, 2025.

In the summer of 2023, I was nominated for the George Mason Washington Journalism and Media Conference in Washington, D.C. National Youth Correspondents from all over the country attended to learn about the journalistic process, listen to experts such as Brian Lamb, founder of C-SPAN, and connect with other students who were interested in pursuing careers in media. The concept of journalistic integrity has long been an area of interest for me, and this experience offered me incredible insight into the importance of press in our democracy, sparking a newfound curiosity for government and policy as well. 

In the summer of 2022, I attended the New York Film Academy with the financial assistance of the Joan D. and John T. Scott Grant for Journalism. While there, we were tasked with the challenge of creating a film that was less than three minutes with no dialogue. My film follows a girl recalling a traumatic experience through the appearance of handprints on her skin. This film is linked here. To this day, I consider this experience one of the most indispensable of my time in high school. The mentors, friends, and creative teammates I met there have forever shaped my ideas about art, passion, and the work I want to put out into the world.