I am an honors Junior Creative Media and Gastronomy double major at The University of Alabama. I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2026. Before I was a student at the University of Alabama I lived in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Since I was six, I dreamed of being the Food Network. I admired the kids who showcased immense confidence in the kitchen and wanted to be like them. When I was 11, I auditioned for a well-known kids' cooking competition. They offered me a contract to join that season, but filming fell through. The producers assured me it would not be the last time I heard from them. It certainly wasn't.
Over the next several weeks, I was offered auditions from several other shows, but none were from the Food Network. After a particularly long audition, I lamented, "If only the Food Network could call tomorrow." The next day, The Food Network called.
I spent the summer of 2015 filming with the Food Network. That summer was not my last TV opportunity. The network sent me to local channels to tell people to watch the show, where I made connections within my homework. They also invited me to two other competition shows, once as a judge and once again as a competitor.
Working with the Food Network allowed me to develop a devotion to both culinary practices and the behind-the-scenes production that enriched my experiences. During filming, I learned from my producers, joked with the pseudonym-given camera people, and overall witnessed the impressive effort that goes into creating media.
These opportunities have transformed my life. That first summer instilled a love of production, culinary, and public speaking that I have cultivated into my college major today. I hope to use these passions in my future career. I would not be the person I am today without these opportunities, and I am eternally grateful for being entrusted to tell my story on national television through food.
Advocacy
Culinary Arts
Collegiate Forensics (Speech and Debate)
Creative Media
Dungeons and Dragons (Identity Development)
History
Multi-Media Marketing
Outreach
Storytelling
Social Media
My family has long encouraged and prioritized philanthropy. When I was five, my father was a chairperson for The Arthritis Foundation. Some of my earliest memories are helping him organize the annual December 5k. We would wake up at 4 am, get dressed in silly costumes, and go downtown to help with set up. Around 10 am the race would start and we would join it. After the 5k we would stay to help clean up.
Since then, my father has received the Jefferson Award and has become a top volunteer for the Indiana Chapter of The Alzheimer's Foundation. My whole family has worked to fundraise and participate in the Alzheimer's Foundation events. This has furthered my interest in philanthropy.
This fall, I joined the Alabama Debate Society an outreach program that works with local middle and high schools to create Speech and Debate programs. My work there is to help students develop their own voice and advocacy skills.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
I plan to remedy this by maintaining a schedule where I make designated work and 'home' time. This will allow me to better prioritize, separate, and complete responsibilities in both areas.
Moving Forward
I am taking steps to move my focus on current and future projects. I will also shift to applying corrections to these projects, instead of mulling on how the corrections could've benefited past projects.
Impatience
I am often incredibly eager to finish projects. I am currently implementing active work to switch to a mindset that focuses on and learns from the process rather than the results.
Adaptability
Communication
Discipline
Leadership
Marketing Skills
Multitasking
Organization
Persuasion
Public Speaking
Sales Experience