Photography started out as a fun hobby—something I loved simply for the joy of capturing moments and being able to look back and relive how I felt in them. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that things started to shift. My Nana introduced me to her neighbor, Theresa, a full-time photographer who generously took me under her wing. She showed me the ins and outs of her business and, more importantly, encouraged me to dream bigger.

During my first semester at Central Michigan University, I enrolled in an “Introduction to Photography” class. It opened up a whole new world. I got to explore different photography styles, and with each assignment, I felt this spark—an excitement to share my work and see how each of us captured the same subject so differently.

My professor noticed my passion for creative, editorial-style photography and introduced me to a fashion club called RAW Magazine. That’s where everything clicked. I became one of five photographers for the magazine, collaborating with editors, stylists, writers, and models. Having my work published in two issues of RAW was a surreal, movie-like moment—my personal light bulb moment. Maybe I can actually do this.