# data[].attributes.body
Trauma can have such a large impact on children because it will impact the way they see the world for their entire lives. If the first experience you have of something is traumatic, you are unlikely to ever enjoy that thing again. I was lucky to grow up with a tight knit family and parents who stayed together, so my childhood was relatively trauma free. The first thing that ever happened to me that still impacts the way I move and who I am today, was probably bullying in middle school. I became enveloped in insecurity and forgot my true worth for a long time. It made it harder for me to make friends going forward because I was insecure and had heavy trust issues. I think I still struggle with these things that started at that time.

# data[].attributes.body
Growing up, my mom never let me use a lot of technology. We didn't have Cable television because my parents thought it would rot my brain. The only things I could use technology for were educational games, ones that I could level up by knowing my times tables or typing quickly. Other than these educational games, my free time was consumed by music, reading, and board games. Growing up in this setting caused me to accelerate in school from a young age. I ended up skipping 4th grade because of it. However, as smart and well read as these conditions made me. I didn't have the same level of play as other kids my age and frequently had no idea what they were talking about when it came to tv shows and pop culture. I struggled with socialization for much of my life because of it.

# data[].attributes.body
I grew up in both Coppell, TX and Freising, Germany. Two places that couldn't be more different. My parents are from Kentucky and Colorado and settled in Texas because it's where my grandparents moved and they wanted me and my sisters to be able to be close to them. Growing up in Coppell had a large impact on my play because it made me so close to my grandparents. They were a huge part of my life then and now. My grandma would keep barbies and legos for me and my sisters and we would play and imagine all day at grandma's. These are some of the memories I hold closest to my heart. My time in Germany also had a huge impact on the way that I played, because I learned what it's like to be an outsider. That time also made me very close with my sisters and our relationship is still very strong today.

# data[].attributes.body
My culture has impacted my life deeply because it has given me a lot of my core values. A lot of my family's culture comes from our time in Germany and our European heritage. Part of that culture is an appreciation of honest, open, and truthful communication as well as closeness in family bonds. My family has always been very close and made family time a priority, but my parents have always been very understanding and receptive to my sisters and I when we feel like we need time for friends or other people. It has taught me how to communicate my needs well and that it's not always a bad thing to not want to spend every second with the people you love.

# data[].attributes.body
My mental illnesses have definitely had a large impact on my play. My anxiety has made it hard for me to speak to people I don't know well or feel comfortable around so I've struggled to make new friends unless they're super welcoming. This made me have fewer opportunities for play. Additionally, my ADHD makes me very loud once I am comfortable, and I sometimes have a hard time knowing where the line is with play and go too far. I'm also discouraged from play frequently by my depression. These are all battles that I've fought for a long time, and I've learned better how to win them. The way that we talked about disabilities in class and in the readings was very comfortable to me. I don't want people to see me as weird or dumb because of my mental illness, but I do want them to see me as different, because I am. There is a lot of stigma around mental illnesses and most people really don't know how to react when you open up about them or even what their true implications are which is why I've always been very open about my own. It felt good to hear in class the way that these things are part of who I am, but not all of who I am.

# data[].attributes.body
When I was 3 years old, my family moved to Germany. I was still at a prime language learning age, and picked up German quickly. I was practically fluent by the time we moved back to Texas when I was 6, and I barely remembered what it was like to live in the US. When my family moved back, we still spoke some German in the home, but not enough for me to retain my same level of language. My family still has many cultural traditions that we picked up from our time in Germany and we speak some GermEnglish in the home. I often felt embarrassed as a young kid to tell people that I lived in Germany because many kids, not knowing any better, would make jokes about me being a Nazi. This caused me to shy away from this aspect of my identity quite a bit for a long time. Now, I'm proud of my German culture and who I am. It's taught me what it's like to have assumptions be made based off things you can't control and to be careful with the jokes that you make. My German background definitely had a large impact on who I grew up to be and the values that I now have.

# data[].attributes.body
My gender had a large impact on the way that I grew up because it dictated the way what I was interested in was seen by myself and others. I've never been athletic and have always been drawn to music and performing. This was a struggle for me until high school, because being un athletic was not exactly seen as cool. However, I was always thankful in those moments that I wasn't a guy, because no matter how hard it was for me as a girl I would've faced much worse for doing what I loved as a guy. Additionally, being a girl shaped the things that I loved because I was drawn to other girls and related to them more. Harry Potter was my favorite book series growing up and I still love it very much. Part of the reason I adored it, was because Hermione Granger was such a role model to me. I always felt weird for being nerdy and high strung, but Hermione was a character who fully embraced who she was and was successful and loved. I always wanted to be her when I played make believe, or it came time to dress up for Halloween.

# data[].attributes.body
I grew up (mostly) in Coppell, TX. Living in a very safe suburb, I had lots of opportunities to play outside with my friends and sisters. This gave me the opportunity to use my imagination unsupervised!

# data[].attributes.body
From the ages of 3-6 I lived in Freising, Germany. Although I don't remember it very well, it impacted my culture, worldview, and relationship with my family for the rest of my life. As I was still a kid, it wasn't too hard for me to pick up German, but I learned what it's like to be an outsider, and that's a lesson I carried with me. My family still has many Germany traditions that we follow. My favorite when I was a kid was Niklolaustag or Saint Nicholas' Day. On December 6th, you put your shiny boots on your porch, and Saint Nicholas fills them with oranges, walnuts, and other various treats and gifts.

# data[].attributes.body
After I moved back from Germany, my mom decided to homeschool my sisters Amelia (older), Sabrina (younger), and me. We were completely homeschooled until I was in the 3rd grade when we switched to a private school that was 2 days a week and partial homeschooling. My parents didn't like the school so we transferred to a different private school and my parents put my in the 5th grade instead of the 4th. I had thought the 3rd grade was a breeze and the new school was full in the 4th. After a year at my new school, my parents decided to switch my sisters and me to public school. This had a very significant impact on my growth and play as a child, because I wasn't around a lot of kids. I also didn't have any friendships that were longer than a year for a while because I moved around so much

# data[].attributes.body
Since I was little, theatre (particularly musical theatre) has been an aspect of who I am and my life. Theatre had a significant impact on my play because it made me more confident and taught me how to feel comfortable in front of large groups of people. This made me feel more confident in trying new things and being imaginative.

# data[].attributes.body
I've always cared deeply about politics, but in 2017 I took it to the next step, organizing a walkout against gun violence at my high school. I've attended tons of protests and met Beto O'Rourke multiple times on his campaign trails. My involvement in politics has given me the opportunity to learn how to make my own informed opinions. I've also learned the great rewards of bravery and risk.

# data[].attributes.body
I was diagnosed with ADHD in 7th grade and depression and anxiety my junior year of high school. My mental health has impacted who I am and how I play greatly. My ADHD makes me fun, outgoing, and creative, but it also makes me chronically late. I sometimes struggle socially because of my depression and anxiety, but it is something I have had to learn to work around as best as I can. My mental health is something I am not ashamed of, as it is a part of what makes me myself, and I have always been happy to talk about it.

# data[].attributes.body
Philanthropy has always been very important to me, and since I was young, helping others has always been my priority. This photo is from one of the years I did Dressember, a fundraising project where you where a dress every day of December to raise money and awareness to fight human trafficking. I was able to raise almost $1000 through the program. I also won top volunteer in my senior class of National Charity League and have been on my sororities philanthropy committee for all of college. This has impacted my play because it has shown me that helping others is the best and most rewarding way to go about living.

# data[].attributes.body
For 3/4 years of high school I was a journalist and even served on my school newspaper's editorial team. I loved worked as a journalist because I got to share so many important stories and it was super rewarding work. Journalism taught me to dig deep and that there's so much more to people's stories than what initially catches the eye. This has impacted my play by making me more interested in getting to know others. (photo is me interviewing Beto O'Rourke)

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/-8otRJBo

# data[].attributes.body
I know that white privilege has had an impact on my life. Unfortunately, it is very easy to not notice when your systematic privilege is at work in your life, so I'm not sure of any specific instances when my white privilege impacted me. However, because of the privilege my family has had, I grew up with many resources that not everyone does. My mom was able to be a stay at home parent and help me with homework and balancing my extracurriculars for most of my life. My parents have never had to decline me of educational opportunities due to finances which is part of what got me into UT and set me up for success in life. I was very lucky to have these resources from my family, and I'm sure many of them came from or stemmed from our being in a place of privilege.

# data[].attributes.body
Growing up, my parents gave me agency to explore my passions. I've always loved music, and I was incredibly blessed to have parents who were able to support me in that passion. Growing up, I spent my time singing, taking dance lessons, doing shows, and playing violin, viola, and piano. My parents support in these aspects of my life opened so many doors for me. I got good enough that I was hired to perform in the children's chorus for shows with the Dallas Opera and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra several times. In high school, I picked up guitar and ukulele and focused most of my time on musical theatre. Again, my parents couldn't have been more supportive and their help in my pursuit of these passions shaped me into who I am today.