Posts

I have participated in Model United Nations since I was a freshman in high school so I was determined to join the Model United Nations team at Ohio State. I finally was accepted to participate in my first collegiate level conference with Ohio State in October during my freshman year. I attended the National Collegiate Security Conference hosted by Georgetown University in Washington DC.

I participated in the Women’s Conference crisis committee. Unfortunately, the conference was poorly run and I did not feel like my committee was run sufficiently. However, I did meet new friends on the Ohio State team and on teams from other universities. Even though my experience in my own committee was not amazing, the entire experience was really great. It was a nice break from Ohio State to go spend some time competing in Washington DC. I cannot wait to attend more conferences and become a better Model United Nations delegate.

I auditioned and was hired to perform tap dance in Instance Number 2: EXPOSURE by Laëtitia Badaut Haussmann at the Gunning House sponsored by the Beeler Gallery. The performance was a reopening of the famous Gunning House that used eight dancers to highlight different aspects of the house’s architecture and history.

Even though I have performed a lot, this performance was very different than anything I have ever done before. It was more abstract and improvisational. The house was the main focal point of the performance and the dancing and artistry was used to compliment the house rather than be the main focus. It was really interesting to perform a style of dance I have been practicing almost my whole life, but in a completely new and unique way. It was also the first time I had worked with artists in the Columbus area which was really refreshing.

I was a member of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (NCYTE) for eight years. NCYTE is a professional youth tap ensemble that performs across the United States and the world. NCYTE also performs shows in schools across the south that teaches the history and importance of tap dance. The company’s repertoire includes 40 dances in different styles of tap dance, such as rhythm tap, jazz tap, Irish step, South African gumboot, body percussion, and buck dancing. With NCYTE I performed in over 100 schools, at tap festivals such as the Chicago Human Rhythm Project and the Vancouver Tap Festival, and in notable theaters such as Symphony Space (NYC) and the Studebaker Theater (Chicago).

High school seniors in the company work together to produce the end of season show at the historic Carolina Theater in Durham. We are in charge of creating the show order, lighting, costuming, organizing guest stars, creating the poster/program design, and choreographing our own original piece. The show is professional and is attended by hundreds of community members each year.

My eight years in NCYTE helped me develop work ethic, responsibility, time management, team work, and leadership. Dancers teach and learn the repertoire from each other. I had to manage my time so I could teach dances, learn dances, attend rehearsals, and perform and travel to shows while attending my other dance classes and school. I learned how to become a leader within the company and position myself as a key member. Performances require an immense amount of teamwork. Each dancer is responsible for knowing the piece and for helping other dancers who are struggling. In a performance each dancer plays a key role in the production.

In 2018 I completed my Girl Scout Gold Award. For my project I created the Red Wolves Save Red Wolves Club at my high school. The club worked to spread awareness about our school’s mascot, the critically endangered red wolf. We created a petition to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, made annual trips to the local Life and Science Museum that is actively involved in the red wolf captive breeding program, held events for children at the local library, and created a video for our school’s news program. I served as president for the club’s first two years. I created the website and organized all of the events and meetings.

Completing my Girl Scout Gold Award helped me gain organization, planning, and leadership skills. I had to plan, budget, and reflect on my project and follow the Girl Scout guidelines. I also saw how a few people can help make change. Even though we may not have significantly helped the red wolf population, we spread awareness about the species dire situation to several members of our community which is beneficial in the longterm.

During the summer of 2017, I was selected to tour with the North Carolina Music Ambassadors. I traveled to England, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, and Germany with a concert band comprised of musicians from across the state. We played several concerts and also had time to tour the various different locations we visited.

Since I am a dual-citizen with New Zealand and have family there, I have traveled there a few times, however, the Europe tour provided me a completely unique and life changing experience. We immersed ourselves in the areas we visited and we lodged in non-tourist locations, to get a unique experience. The tour demonstrated how music can bring people of all backgrounds together.