When I was in high school, I played Molly in a production of Peter and the Star Catcher at an all-boys Jesuit school. While being one of the only girls in that cast was one giant social experiment for me, it was the effect that the play had on the audience that really shaped my career. After a performance, I had an incredibly meaningful conversation with a girl I'd never met before. She said our show inspired her and was a big step in her own mental health journey. She ended up joining this theater program with me the next year and I got to watch her find herself. That's how I learned that there was more to theater than a spotlight.

Giving people the permission to feel, whether it be joy, grief, or anything in between, inspired me to study and pursue this career (as well as cognitive science). While I hope to be a part of projects that embrace my Jewish identity and neurodivergent self, I ultimately want to spread joy and acceptance any way that I can.