This week, I am overjoyed to introduce to you an incredibly intelligent, talented, and creative young artist. Meet Mara!

Our story begins during my Sophomore year at Marywood. Walking on the third floor of our Studio Arts building, I saw a flyer posted on the wall. It stated that a local mother was looking for an Art student to give private lessons to her 11 year old daughter. I remember standing there for awhile, just staring at that brightly colored piece of paper and thinking. A lot of thoughts ran through my mind, but a few that surfaced were, “Could this be my chance?” and “What do I have to lose?”. I decided I would give it a try. I sent an email to the name posted, explaining I had a lot of experience with kids, from babysitting and teaching dance throughout the years, and also that I had an 11 year old sister who was also interested in Art. I found out that night. I got it! I distinctly remember jumping up and down in my kitchen…my first student! This was it, the beginning of my career.

I am excited to say that I have now been working with Mara for about a year and she has truly inspired me. She is driven, determined, observant, and a million other things that teachers dream their students to be. She is only 11 but never ceases to surprise me with her creative problem solving skills and open opinions about her art and that of others. Her confidence is something to be admired. During every class, we go from having very serious artistic conversation, analyzing her work and ways to improve it, to laughing out loud at our own silliness. It brings me so much joy as both a teacher and artist to see an emerging artist grow under my guidance; to show such trust in me. Both Mara and her mother will forever hold a special place in my heart, for being the start of my dream come to life. I will always be grateful for the chance to enlighten a new and growing artist, along with the dance party in my kitchen. That, for me, is true happiness.

Now that a year has almost passed, I hope to have many more silly outbursts and creative conversations with my very first student. I sincerely hope she has learned as much from me as I have from her, and that she understands how truly special she is to me. What I have taken from this whole experience is that you should never doubt yourself and your abilities. Hold on to your dream, because one day something will show up unexpectedly, just in time to change your life.