I completed high school in three years and took a year off before college. During that time, I traveled, studied ballet, Latin and Ballroom dance in New York City, and began singing. I had a passion for acting and began to focus on it more seriously. I also considered becoming a professional tennis player, so I continued tennis as well. When I wasn't traveling I held two jobs -- one at an animal hospital, the other for Congress where, among other things, I had the privilege of coordinating an awards ceremony for a World War II veteran. By the end of my year "off" before college, I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I loved too many things, and I couldn't imagine settling with just one.

I attended my first classes at NYU thinking I'd major in Physics, but I was open to new ideas. My freshman year classes allowed me to continue exploring new areas, such as East Asian Studies. During freshman year, I wrote an essay for my Liberal Studies writing class that I submitted to a New Millennium Writings contest. At this point it occurred to me that I could write for a living. Months later, I received a letter stating that my essay had won honorable mention!

At NYU, I've become involved in the Liberal Studies Program's West 4th Street Review as a writer and student editor. I've also had the opportunity to continue dancing, to study Japanese, and to take up piano again after a 10-year hiatus. And I still had time to act in a feature film as well as student films and photography projects. I have NYU and my professors specifically to thank for exposing me to things I didn't even know I didn't know, and encouraging me to minor in Creative Writing to accompany my Philosophy major.