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1.) What's your earliest memory of making art?
My mom would always make sure when my brothers and I were little that we always had something to draw with, and she would always ask us what we saw in the clouds.

2.) Did you take a lot of art classes in high school?
I took photo classes. I was lucky enough to have a school with four years of photography and the program was one of the best in the state.

3.) Why did you choose to attend an art + design school?
I realized my junior year that I couldn’t see myself doing anything but art for the rest of my life.

4.) What made you choose CIA?
I have family out here, and once I came into the school the teachers and the people around really pushed me to become a better and better artist.

5.) What made you choose your major?
It had the most openness from what I had applied to, and I thought that it would really allow me to explore a wide range of ways of making art, which has been important to me in my time at CIA.

6.) Is having your own studio important to your education?
The studio practice and the relationships I've built at CIA have been invaluable; both push me to make art - and not just when I’m in my classes. The interactions with not only classmates but teachers and people from the arts community in Cleveland always provide great conversation that allows me to push my art and connect a lot of dots in my understanding of art.

7.) How are your relationships with CIA faculty different than your relationships with your high school teachers?
It's much more friendly and on a peer-to-peer level. There's no condescension and they talk to you as artists, but that also means they will push you much harder than a high school teacher would, which is one of the best things there is.

8.) Tell us about your internship.
I worked at Light Sculpture Works as an assistant in the studio helping to prepare molds and objects. CIA provided me with a good problem-solving basis to be able to go in and learn what I needed to quickly. It was absolutely a valuable experience and helped me understand mold making better.

9.) What one thing about the CIA experience surprised you the most?
The fact that I didn’t do what I came to do. I originally came here for photography; but when I got here my eyes were opened to the possibilities, and I have expanded so far beyond what I thought possible.

10.)How do you like Cleveland?
What's great about Cleveland is that the arts community is very tight knit, which means the opportunities are plentiful and the friends and connections you make expand even outside of Cleveland.

11.) What would you say to a high school student considering attending CIA?
Weigh your options. Know what you want out of a school, and know what the arts community is like in Cleveland. It's important to make sure that what we have at this school seems like a perfect fit for you, because if it is, it will be invaluable to the rest of your life.