UC San Diego

Eight years ago I had the pleasure of being taught by Aaron Posner. Mr. Posner was a great teacher. He made a statement that stuck with me till this very day. He stated, "An actor that knows himself will truly be unique." Although this statement stood out I honestly didn't understand it until my professional acting days. Preceding my undergraduate years and just before my education started here at UCSD, I had the pleasure of working with many experienced actors. My first professional job was Fences, a play by August Wilson. I had the honor of working with Stephanie Berry and Raymond Anthony Thomas. The brilliance of these two actors came from the essence of who they are not only as actors but as individuals. I greatly admired their performances. It was unique. One day I asked both Stephanie Berry and Anthony Thomas, "How were they able to maintain their consistent acting ablities?" Their response was that they utilized their very own life experiences and knowledge to get them through their roles on stage. Those words stayed with me, and made me look at my life and my experiences differently and reflect upon them on stage as well. Those encouraging words brought me to the next phase in my life, which was growing and improving my talent here at UCSD. I wanted to really focus on developing myself by fully getting to know me and utilize my experiences in my work consistently. I arrived at UCSD in September 2008 and I can honestly say I have had a blessed three years. I have worked with professors that have pushed me to find the essence of each character within myself for every single rehearsal and every single performance. I have done eight plays in the program, and each time I was given a new opportunity to discover my uniqueness. With the help of my dedicated professors I am proud to say I have found my purpose in my art. I am so eager now to go out in the world to grow, transform, and make an imprint.