Past Work
I received my first camera at 12 years old and continued upgrading my equipment as my skills and passion for filmmaking grew. What started as a hobby quickly became something I took seriously.
During my junior and senior years at the Center for Advanced Learning, my work continued to evolve, opening doors to opportunities throughout Portland. Before the age of 19, I had earned my first two awards, collaborated with nonprofit organizations across the city, and built a portfolio doing what I loved most—telling stories through video.
As life often does, it presented new challenges and responsibilities. I made the difficult decision to put my dream on pause for a time so I could focus on developing other life skills and finding stability. While filmmaking took a back seat, my passion for storytelling never disappeared. It remained a part of who I am and ultimately guided me back to the creative path I was always meant to follow.
Western Showdown- Crosswalk Safety
This video was created during my junior year at the Center for Advanced Learning as part of a client project for the City of Gresham. Rather than taking a traditional approach with narration and demonstrations, I wanted to create something more memorable and engaging. Drawing inspiration from classic Western showdowns, I developed a concept that delivered a crosswalk safety message through cinematic storytelling and humor.
The project was selected as one of the top five videos out of ten submissions. Those finalists were then reviewed by the Mayor of Gresham to determine which projects would be used as official city promotions.
In the end, my video was chosen by the Mayor to be featured as a commercial on the City of Gresham's website alongside the Audience Choice Award winner. Creating a city-sponsored commercial while still in high school was a significant milestone in my filmmaking journey and helped demonstrate the power of creative storytelling to engage audiences while delivering an important public safety message.
Audubon Society of Portland : Talon Program
During the summer, I had the opportunity to share the story of winning my first filmmaking award with the program manager of the Talon Program. That conversation sparked an interest in creating a promotional video for the program, which ultimately became my first paid video project.
Working alongside the Audubon Society of Portland, I spent time documenting my fellow teammates as they carried out their environmental and conservation work throughout the summer. I was given just two weeks to film, edit, and complete the project, making it one of my first experiences working under a real client deadline.
The finished video was used to recruit new participants for future Talon Program cohorts and to help support grant funding efforts that kept the program operating. Knowing that my work contributed to both youth recruitment and the continuation of a program that provided valuable opportunities for young people made this project especially meaningful to me.