I am from Maywood, Illinois. It is a village directly west of downtown Chicago. I have lived in the village all of my life. I was five years old when I watched my aunt die of AIDS. Even at that young age I knew much about the disease that claimed her life. In 2003 I entered the doors of Proviso East High School for the first time. It was that very year that I placed first in the high school talent show. I broke barriers becoming the first person to incorporate spoken word into the talent shows.

At the age of 15, I wrote poems about pressing issues I saw every day in my community of Maywood, Illinois. These issues included poverty, teenage pregnancy, police brutality, and HIV/AIDS. Even though I participated in poetry slams and talent shows my high school years were filled with ups and downs. By my junior year I was forced to attend night classes, an alternative for student’s with attendance problems. After a semester in night school I was forced to make a life changing decision. I pondered whether to stay in school or become a statistic and drop out. After much thinking I decided to stay in high school. I then transferred to Burlington Central High School in Burlington, Illinois. The experience was new to me, because the school was more diverse. For the first time in my life I was attending classes with students of a different race. After completing a semester there I decided to go back home to Maywood.

During the summer of 2006, I saw an advertisement on Black Entertainment Television (BET) for a national contest challenging youths in America to write about what HIV/AIDS meant to them. Feeling so close to the subject I decided to devote the summer to writing a short story about HIV/AIDS. In August of 2006 I began my senior year at Proviso East high school, and I was also maintaining a part-time job at The Village of Maywood. I also received the news that the story I had wrote won the contest and would be made into a short film. I worked hard and was involved in every aspect of the filmmaking process. The film aired on BET in February of 2007. I was recognized by the Illinois Senator Barack Obama, and was given my own day in the Village of Maywood. On May 20, 2007 I made my mother proud by becoming her first child to receive a high school diploma.

Since graduating I have been attending Columbia College Chicago where I am actively pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Video. My film has been distributed to high schools across America as part of “Cable in the Classroom”. The film is part of the BET’s 2007 Emmy Award winning Rap-it-up campaign. The film has also won numerous awards at film festivals across the nation, including the Paul Roberson Award. I dedicated the film to my late aunt and all those that suffer from the disease. I vow to use this film as a stepping-stone to continue awareness on social issues that has had an effect on my community, as well as communities across the nation.

 I plan to continue to make films that will help people and live up to my school motto of creating change. My goal is to challenge audience perceptions and provide entertaining material that will challenge viewers to think beyond stereotypes. My desire is to continue my education at New York University Graduate School.