2016
I was born and raised in The Bronx and I couldn't go away for college. I wanted to still be home but I wanted to be in Manhattan. I wanted to be next to my people because, as an African American, I relate more to Hispanic and Black people. The City College of New York looked like a good location to me. I liked the way the campus was. At the time, I was very much interested in architecture. I found out that there was an architecture program there, but unfortunately, I was a transfer student from a previous college. I am an excellent artist, and I knew how to draw and paint a little bit at the time, so I decided to pursue an art major. From there, I was able to hone my skills in the arts from my natural talent to be more seasoned in the field. My art classes were really the biggest experience for me. I was in The Role Model Program. From there, I was able to meet with an architect who was a woman in the field and did a mentorship with her. Even to this day, I'm still in contact with her, which is pretty cool. Although I'm not in the field, she is still the mentor I can talk to.