Q: Who am I? 

I'm Jess! I'm a senior musical theatre major at the University of Michigan. I'm from Auckland, New Zealand. I am Hispanic, Chinese, and Indian! My favorite foods are popcorn and ramen. I'm in true love with my dog and would snuggle puppies for a living if I could (: 

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Q: What inspires me? 

I'm inspired by all kinds of things, but, most often, by the people around me and whom I get to study with. Our brilliant faculty and all 80 (ish) of my classmates inspire me with their commitment to their craft and to becoming the best versions of themselves that they can be. I'm also so inspired by travel, by my beautiful home in New Zealand, by community service & the kids that I'm able to work with, and, to sound cliché, the universe, which has so much to offer us if we're only willing to open up and accept it!

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Q: Who do I look up to?

Lin-Manuel Miranda. Baayork Lee. Laura Benanti. Audra McDonald. My professors, especially Linda Goodrich & Ron DeJesus. SO many others, but these ones came to mind first because they paved the way for performers after them to achieve their goals, and they aren't afraid to use their platforms for change.

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Q: What makes me proud to be who I am? 

I am proud of who I am because it is wonderfully complicated and unique! For so long, I tried to hide behind my racial ambiguity and to shy away from my origins, hoping that people would think I was "white" or "American" enough to fit in. In my junior and senior year of college, I learned that my strength and power lies in all of my identities. I am proud because I get to represent my history every day! What an honor that is.

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Q: Advice for young performers of color:

1. Follow your heart. Never let anyone tell you you aren't good enough! Nobody gets to decide what quantifies "enough" except YOU. 

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2. Be so, so proud of who you are and where you come from: I really learned this in my last two years of college, and I can't fully express how valuable it has been to me as a performer and human being. Create opportunities for yourself and seek to question & understand how your identity plays out in your life & career on the stage.

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3.  Lastly, stay grounded and lift others up. This is a crazy business, but surround your life with authenticity in all forms. And really trust in the universe to deliver everything to you in its time. It will! Everything that happens in your life is meant to happen.