Writing Sample:
Excerpt from an academic paper:
Though not specifically political in her music, the very potency of her image as that of an aging Afro-Latina icon predicated primarily by her extensive body of culturally significant work is, in itself, a queering of essentialist notions of ‘diaspora’, as introduced by Gayatri Gopinath in her analysis of diaspora in Keywords for Gender and Sexuality Studies. Gopinath explains that “all too often diasporas are narrated through relational bonds between men and specifically through an oedipal relation between fathers and sons” (Gopinath, p. 86), and when considering even the very etymology of the phrase ‘la patria’, it becomes evident how prevalent “the patriarchal, patrilineal, and heteronormative underpinnings of the term” (p. 86) influence general notions of colonialism and displacement. But what is worth noting here is that Cruz’s strong association with Cuban pride extends beyond her image. Though it may at times embody a “version of diaspora [that] is violently consolidated on the bodies of women, who are meant to serve as symbols of cultural authenticity and communal identity” (Gopinath, p. 87), her career has survived well beyond the typical shelf-life of a female performer for the male gaze. Her positionality as an Afro-Cuban artist must also not be ignored. Celia Cruz’s invited embodiment of the Cuban diasporic spirit fundamentally works, as Dr. Gopinath puts it, “against an essentialist notion of identity” and “foreground[s] notions of impurity, hybridity, and heterogeneity that reject the ethnic/racial/religious absolutism at the heart of nationalist projects” (p. 86). In this sense, her lasting impact in itself is both radical and political.
Excerpt from a personal statement:
I am well-versed in the world of middle management. During my time as a Producer for a production company that creates globally-distributed dramas, I found myself regularly doing the intricate dance required to meet the needs of my executive producers, commercial clients, and hired talent. Often, all three parties had conflicting goals, and it was my job to find the most ideal solution that most significantly moved our project with integrity toward its outlined goal. I understand how to divorce my ego from the collective effort of community impact work, and I have a knack for identifying the underlying Heart of a tangled web of interrelated problems. My experience as an arts teacher (+ professor) for students of all ages taught me first and foremost that people thrive in environments of psychological safety. When wrangling competing priorities, I have found that listening deeply and making a conscious effort to remember the uniting humanity behind each priority, a rather simple solution surfaces from beneath miscommunication.
