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I started sewing around 6th grade. While I was no prodigy, it kick-started my passion for fashion, creation, and sewing. I own a small business selling handmade accessories, with a focus on selling at UCF. Sewing also led me to find a passion for costume design. It was also a skill my late grandmother and I shared, and it always allowed me to feel closer to her. Sewing has allowed me to be okay with failure as not every idea turns out as expected. Despite having a small room in my apartment, I didn't let that stop me from making accessories for myself and others. I was also a part of UCF’s Fashion Society for a year, helping design outfits for their annual fashion show. Though Fashion Society no longer fit in my schedule, it was such a dream to work with other talented sewists who have the most creative minds I have ever seen. I am fortunate enough to have joined this club temporarily allowing me to make friends that I still have to this day.

When I graduated high school, I figured I wouldn’t participate in improv or theatre activities thinking it was a phase. I decided anyway to join The Improv Academy my first semester of college. It was quite possibly the best decision I ever made. I discovered a passion for improv, found my best friends, was the social media coordinator for 2 years, and got to teach for a semester. I get to make fun graphics for our upcoming shows while still getting the chance to teach and perform with my friends. This past summer, I got to continue doing improv despite the summer break, taking classes and watching shows in New York at the Upright Citizens Brigade, a well-known improv theatre and training center. The Improv Academy uses UCB’s handbook, so getting to experience their training firsthand was an exciting opportunity. The comedy scene being so diverse, I got to meet people who perform stand-up in New York and take classes with some of the best improvisers I have seen. Being a Middle Eastern woman, it’s hard to find others like me in improv, but I was able to meet 2 two other Middle Eastern women who work at UCB who encouraged me to continue performing improv and encouraged me to come back next summer and apply for their diversity scholarship.

After 2 years of being at UCF attending CAB events, I knew I had to get involved before graduation. I got the wonderful opportunity to join CAB this past year, working with the Marketing and Comedy committees. As a committee member, I got to help the directors come up with fun activities for students and volunteer for small and large events. I was fortunate enough to volunteer for some of UCF’s biggest events, Pegasus Palooza Comedy Knight, UCFest Comedy Knight, and UCFest Concert Knight, helping to create content, assist with crowds, and getting to meet the talent. I look forward to participating in CAB again this year. With a desire to work in entertainment, I am fortunate enough to get a small taste of event planning, booking talent, and see firsthand how other students lead a committee and successfully put on large-scale events.

Ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted to be an actress. As a child, I spent a lot of time auditioning for commercials but I slowly got discouraged after not booking. I was however cast as an ensemble in a community theatre production of “Oliver Twist” which restarted my love for performing. Throughout middle school and high school, I participated in 16 productions both as tech and as an actor. As my passion for sewing grew, I found the costume design allowed me to use my talents in shows I was not cast in. I was chosen as costume design co-lead for a year in high school. My co-lead and I worked countless hours which paid off as we won an award for “Best Costume Design” in a local theatre competition and was nominated for “Best Costume” for our fall play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and our spring musical “Legally Blonde,” at the Orange County Cappies. I paused my theatre career when I came to college and felt like something was missing until this past year where I finally took part in UCF’s Project Spotlight, a student theatre club, getting to perform in a One Act show and co-costume design a student written full length show that premiered at “UCF Celebrates the Arts” at Dr. Phillips Center.

I look forward to participating in this club again as I enter my senior year of college continuing to pursue my passions.