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A major goal of mine is to gain confidence in my work and talent through building my skill and gaining experience. I have had a great amount of trouble with my confidence and how that affects my art and the way I create and collaborate. I find that I tend to have trouble asserting myself in groups, and inserting myself and my ideas into conversations, because of the fear of having a “wrong Idea”.

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Inspiration I just took from you: The idea of being true to your character... and that being something quite different from being true to you. I love how this insight stitches a through line between two of your values: honesty and open-mindedness.  You can't be true to your character if you can't be open-minded to other perspectives.  Your two values straddle a difficult line of honoring and embodying perspectives you don't agree with.  To me, this is some seriously noble work (assuming, of course, that the perspectives of your characters do not contribute to a final project that advices injustice.  But I don't think you would tread there... equity seems so core to who you are as to go without saying).

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I am just one personality out of many and I have my set of values and others have theirs. That being said when I am collaborating or even when I take on a new character I try to keep in mind that their lives have shaped them into the person they are now. Everyone is unique and I may not agree with what everyone I meet does or their Ideas, but I like to keep my mind open to the unique perspectives each person brings.

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No matter the project that I work on I find that honesty is the best policy. When in collaboration it's important to stay honest about how I feel about a decision, especially because a collaboration is a partnership so we should both be happy with the art we are making. Also when acting if you aren't being honest to your character then I believe that you're not doing it right. Just as you should be true to you, when acting you should be true to your character.

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When working on any project I feel married to my work and being fully committed to your work is the only way that the work will be done. Do the work and reap the rewards.

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I want to join the theatre and dance community by participating in shows here at UT. This is particularly Important to me because I hope that by building community around me, I will find some confidence in my abilities. Another reason this is so crucial to me is because this is the reason I find theatre to be so fun and this is also a way to create connections that not only benefit me as a person but as a professional.

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Someday I want to perform on Broadway as an actress

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Be able to create art that I am proud of and continue to learn through these new works

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Even though we cannot meet in person, Artists are still finding ways to create. For example, this summer on a popular app called Tik Tok a community created a whole musical based on the Disney movie "Ratatouille" or on the same app currently there is a musical being composed based on the netflix series "Bridgerton"

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Collaboration is a team effort and there is no "I" in team. Doing the thing that helps the whole project not just yourself is a huge principle of mine.

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Education of the arts in the age of COVID-19

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Education of the arts in the age of COVID-19

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I think overall arts education has been stuck in the same spot over the last couple of years and even before that. The same syllabus, and the same course but I feel the pandemic has forced educators and students alike to challenge the way we learn about and teach the arts.

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Right now as we cannot physically go into a theatre and sit through a beautiful high school production of beauty and the beast or pay humongous amounts of money for a broadway  production- As much as we want to. We have had to rely on whatever movie musical is on any streaming service and seeing MT and Theatre move to become more accessible, It makes me want to learn the art of acting not just for the stage but for the screen and how to translate a story written specifically for the stage to a big screen (or how ever big the living room TV is)!

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The things I have experienced are pretty unique like I know what it feels like to grow up without a mother in some of the most crucial years for a young girl, and then getting to reconnect with her in my adult life. I have experienced raising a child and the challenges that go along with that. All these experiences have shaped me into the artist I am now.

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The Transition from Highschool to Collegiate theatre

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The Transition from Highschool to Collegiate theatre

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I realize that the transition from high school to college theatre is a whole new ball game and that's something i am still navigating but am excited about!

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I have been fortunate to go to school and still be able to participate in extracurriculars, but it wasn't always that way. My whole life my family has struggled financially and that meant that meant that the things I wanted to do weren't possible until I was old enough to start asking for rides back home if there wasn't a bus. I held a job, participated in extracurriculars and kept up with school, paired with the things I went through at home, this made me grow up really quickly.

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I am Hispanic, I was born here in the U.S but my family tree originally came from Mexico, so this has influenced my personality and the type of work I want to put out.

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I grew up in a predominately Hispanic/ Latinx school district and community, so all my life I have been surrounded with students who a lot of the time didn't care and parents, or grandparents who can only wish to go back to school to finish their education. To see those experiences has made me aware of the privilege I have to be able to see a future ahead of me and the drive to be successful and the opportunity I have to achieve those goals.

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Something that I guess would be a value as well as a practice is punctuality. I will always be on time unless I have a real valid excuse because time is money and I don't want to be the collaborator that doesn't experience the ah-ha moments merely because I was late to a rehearsal, meeting or god-forbid a performance.

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I have personally worked with some people that weren't pleasant to work with. They made the workspace so toxic, always talking bad about other actors and even some of the crew, including me and overall making the whole experience bad for everyone involved (Even the director was done with them). So something I have been diligent about is bringing the positivity into the rehearsal experience or collaboration because it makes it easier to groove and work. Trust is also easier to achieve this way!

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I have seen it time and time again on stage or off it and even in the classroom there are some collaborators that all they want to do is play and do no work. There is nothing wrong with play time within an artistic partnership but nothing is going to get done in the type of environment where no one or only a few people are pulling their weight. Being on task is the best way to be sure our dreams can come into fruition!

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I have already mentioned this before, but I think this one is most important. Dance, Theatre, or really creative and performance art is a collaboration. This means that when in these scenarios you are a team and you must work as such.

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Selena, Each column weaves the fabric of you into a rich, complex tapestry.  As you share your story, I have only more and more appreciation for the opportunity to be in this class with you.  You're a light.

In your story, I also hear a familiar, difficult tale of loving your culture and family and the ways your path differs from theirs.  Without even intending to, this can put tension on your connections as they navigate fears of you "leaving' and you navigate new communities that love what you bring and offer you new perspectives.

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You said it and I have to say, I laugh. It's true: play hard, work hard, and know when to do each. Work can feel like play if you approach it with the values and habits you identify in this Personal Statement.

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Ok now Selena, this column should be renamed "Why You Need To Be In Charge of Something--and Will Be One Day." Your insight is spot on.  YOU GO telling it how it is when it comes to education and access to our art form and how COVID has shaken that up for the better.  You're perspective is necessary because it lovingly calls out the problem and says, "Hey everyone, we might have already nouns some parts of a solution."  I hope you draw *confidence (see column 1)* from lovingly (and I use this word because I hear it as something operating in you already).. lovingly sharing your ideas with others and getting them on board.   One of your superpowers is leading from within.  It's a great place from which to lead.  It ensures the folks you need will be right there with you.

You call forth the grace and ambition of the gone-too-soon pop singer, Selena!