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wearing my sorority's line jacket- Sigma Delta Lambda.  

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I am an immigrant woman from Mexico who grew up in a neighborhood with people similar to me. I don't know why, but ever since I was a little girl, I was obsessed with performance. Having concerts and my own little red carpet walk for my family— it was just what I wanted to do with no real rhyme or reason. So, as soon as I could, I joined a theater club in the first grade and began my life in theater. However, the school I went to did not have the best funding for extracurricular activities, so after a year, the club was shut down. This experience was one of the first times where I saw how theater was not accessible to everyone, almost a privilege.

In middle school and high school, I was very involved with my theater program, but again, we lacked many resources. In my freshman year of high school, I remember we had almost no funds to put on any show, and it was clear when comparing our costumes and sets to the other schools we competed against. Despite our lack of funds, there was always something that stood out to me— the community we made because of theater. Creating communities, especially for youths who may not have much, myself included, but I always knew I had a place with my theater troupe, which helped me push toward the future.

I want to make safe spaces for younger generations to create and do theater. Art and theater shouldn't just be for the rich but for everyone who is even remotely curious to try it out. My art and my future as an artistic citizen are rooted in my culture and community and ensuring that kids can have that place in theater if they want it.

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I cannot express how important happiness is to me. We only live so long, and in the end, we cannot hold onto money or material objects. We only have our memories before we die, so I want to ensure that whenever I am on my deathbed, I think about the happiness and love I felt in my life.

This value can be seen in my process of creation- I won't sacrifice my own happiness to appease anyone. Of course, this is not to say I won't compromise or work hard; the opposite actually, I work really hard on my projects because it makes me happy to see my accomplishments. When I state that I won't sacrifice my happiness, I am saying I will uphold my boundaries even if it bothers others. I won't feel uncomfortable or upset with myself simply because of a societal expectation to give your blood, sweat, and tears into your work. I will give everything I can give because if I ever give too much, I can't get that back.

Additionally, when I work with others, I want them to be happy too! I want to create devised work together where we all feel like we have a voice in the collaboration. When working on projects together, it can be hard to speak up whenever you are unhappy with something, and I would love to make a space where people feel safe to share their opposing views. Holding in any opinions or thoughts can really build unhelpful emotions, and I don't want anyone to ever feel that way.

Maybe happiness as a value while working may seem a little unconventional or weird because we are built up to work and create through pain and hardships, however, I don't see the point in that. Especially in art, we should all be happy and content with our work and who we are working with.

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tiny collage of moments in collaboration when I felt happy

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Growing up as a Latina in the United States, there were multiple times when I felt like I had no representation in the media. I had Dora the Explorer, and besides that, I rarely had anyone else to look up to as a kid for Latina representation. Even when there were Latinas taking leads in shows, they were either highly stereotyped and sexualized, or their cultural identity was barely expressed. This lack of representation is why it is so important for me now that I am older to express my Latinidad in my work and career.

As I have previously mentioned, it is important for me to create safe spaces for everyone I work with. This is especially true for anyone I work with from different cultural values and backgrounds. I know how it feels to be put down because of where you come from. I've dealt with many people who valued my word less because I'm Latina, and I don't want anyone to ever feel that way when I am working with them. I also think it's necessary to call out anyone I may be collaborating with if they ever make me or someone else feel that way too. Working with people who are open to cultural expression in theater work is very important to me, and I cannot work with anyone who refuses to be open to others' experiences.

Also, if possible, I would love to work on new shows where there is a heavy importance on culture, even if not a show focusing on Latinidad. I want to uplift other communities around me because I know it has not been easy for many, especially in the theater world. This goes along with building a community of people who support others even if we do not come from the same background. Cultural expression is so important nowadays; we must come together and not let our voices be silenced.

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group of middle school kids I worked with during high school