Cheerleading
Cheerleading has been apart of my life forever. Specifically, I have been a competitive cheerleader for over 14 years. I started in gymnastics tumble classes at a gym that was right in front of my childhood cheer gym. From there, I experimented with many sports and at one point was doing softball, dance, and cheerleading alongside dance. However, after taking a few cheer tumbling classes, I quickly fell in love. Now, I am a cheerleader on the USC Spirit Leaders Collegiate Cheer Team. Fight On!A lot of people misunderstand competitive cheer for sideline cheer. Sideline cheer is directed towards cheering for another sport, whether it be football, basketball, etc. Competitive Cheer (or Allstar Cheer), however, is geared towards the cheer team competing against other cheer teams. Competitions are held locally, statewide, regionally, nationally, and even worldwide. Competitions are split into divisions, whic are determined based on the age group of the team competing and their skill level.
Over my course of being a cheerleader, I have learned many things and endured many trials. A lot of my trials have related to injuries. I have dealt with tendonitis in my knees since I was 9 as well as knee caps that have dislocated twice (I had to endure knee reconstructive surgery at the age of 15). I've endured many reoccuring ankle sprains, elbow/arm injuries, and even hip injuries. I have a brace for just about every part of my body. I am also a cardiology patient with an inverted T-wave heartbeat. To summarize, I've had my fair share of physical-health related challenges when it comes to this sport I love so much. The community, love, and progress, however, is what keeps me going.
Artwork
I have always had a deeply creative mind. At the age of eight, I was deeply into upcycling and even started my own YouTube channel with videos relating to it. By junior high, I drew my first self portrait, discovering my love for realism. In high school, many of my advanced classes were art based, providing a space for me to grow my innovative side consistently. Now, as a student in the Iovine and Young Academy, I'm learning how to convert these years of creativity into action.Aside from my major being highly based on innovation and creation, I have made a consistent effort to exercise my creative side in differing places. This semester, for example, I was chosen to be the Co-Graphics Chair of the USC Gearfest Concert. Gearfest is an annual concert put on by the Black Student Assembly and Creative Experience Club for the purpose of celebrating and uplifiting Black voices in music. Since September of 2023, we have been at work to create a vision for the Gearfest Concert in March. To keep our audience engaged, we have been utilizing softwares like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop to create posts for our Instagram. My favorite post that I have designed is our Valentine's Day Graphic.
