My Personal Narrative 

Throughout my childhood, there was always one consistency: my dad's GoPro. It captured every moment, whether it be my twin sister and I swimming in the pool in our backyard or embracing the cold as we skiied down slopes in the winter. As a child, I did not realize why my dad cared about making these moments permanent — I did not realize why it mattered to have them as a keepsake.

However, as I've gotten older, I can't help but smile as I relive the memories and immerse myself in the past while watching these videos. I laugh at the funny moments between me and my sister, grin at my fashionable outfit choices, but most of all, I feel a wave of nostalgia and gratefulness towards the fact that I have the privilege of being able to go back to these moments. I had never wished to become a photographer or videographer, but I thought about how those two careers had already had a critical impact on my life.

Entering Dreyfoos School of the Arts as a communications major, I kept that realization in mind — I decided to try something new. I signed up to be a photographer for The Muse so that I could reciprocate that same feeling of joy that I received when looking back on old footage that my dad has taken of me. Being able to see the happiness on a person's face after I capture a moment they themselves were proud of is something that makes me feel proud and why I love my role as a photographer.