I remember hiking the mountain Gwanaksan in Korea in the summer of 2019. It was the first time I had done a hike by myself. Hiking by myself was a very meditative and pensive experience: I was able to focus on the trees and the views and the people that I met along the way. At the top of the mountain was a Buddhist temple in which I meditated for a few minutes, watching the expanse of the world open up in front of me. After that I met an old couple who shared with me a snack of tomatoes from their garden at home, coffee and lessons for how to live my life. It was an ephemeral moment of connection across age, country and culture that was built on our shared experience of hiking, our relief at reaching the top and the awakening of our poetic selves in the cold air of Gwanaksan. I never want to lose the people I meet in the natural world: when they are away from the bustle of the concrete jungle, we experience time differently and think about our lives and selves differently.

I am currently in the process of converting my travel journals into a podcast/soundscape modelled on the ted podcast "pindrop" and the studio ochenta podcast "mija." I am attempting focus both on race and immigration as well as cities and their environment throughout this project.

I sound designed and edited an audio play at Vassar College titled h.b. floating palace which focused thematically on the geo-politics of Kashmir and the partition of India and Pakistan. -I was also a part of the executive team of Vassar Voices, a story-telling initiative that challenges the devaluation of emotions by hosting events for students, faculty, and administrators to tell stories about mundane yet meaningful aspects of their lives. I was a part of a committee of 4 students who planned and facilitated three events for over 100 people. We also designed and ran a series of workshops for storytellers to develop their stories and build comfort with sharing them. Our digital archive has recorded stories from the event -- all recorded and edited by our group as well. I’m currently applying to graduate school for environmental studies and gender and sexuality studies and working on bringing together activism and academia for a more rigorous approach to the challenge of climate change.

I believe that storytelling challenges the devaluation of emotions in professional and activist circles. Emotions and empathy are key to generating transformative encounters that can change peoples minds and encourage their passions towards doing the work of reversing climate change and saving the environment. Furthermore, I believe that storytelling and creativity can center what is commonly thought of as the "mundane" aspects of people's lives. For example, someone's bike ride to work or trip to a park for weekly soccer practice are events that are often taken for granted. Storytelling and creativity can imbue rich meanings and poetry into these seemingly mundane events to show listeners how these events that are often taken for granted are actually the most important things to be saved and protected. I get to have experiences of collaboration and community with The Creative Process with people who are committed to storytelling and the environment. I can share my stories in a creative way but would also like to listen to the stories of others and support them with my skills.