In Spring 2008, I graduated from Brooklyn College, in Brooklyn, NY, with a BA in Art and minor in English.  My passion in art includes, first and foremost, photography, as well as drawing, graphic design, and painting.  A BA in Art is not much in today's art industry, which is why I eventually hope - in the not-to-distant future - to earn an MFA in Advertising.  Because, when I grow up, my goal is to work at an advertising agency and design for the entertainment industry, such as movie posters and CD/DVD labels and covers.  I greatly enjoy watching movies and learning the technical aspects of the industry, so it would be a dream come true to be able to design the art that captures the mystery of a film.  I also enjoy reading, writing poetry, started a novel I'll probably never get finished, and have recently discovered I have a talent for writing plays. 

My disability is Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), which is when muscles form into bone, and connective tissue generate an extra skeleton that immobilizes the body.  The extra bone in FOP forms by a progressive transformation of soft tissue into cartilage and bone.  Bone regenerates after a fracture by this same process.  The abnormality in FOP occurs not in the manner of bone formation but rather in its timing and location.  The degree of disability varies from individual to individual and can begin developing at any rate at any given time, so there are no two people with FOP who are or have been at the same physical stage; only the symptoms are similar.  FOP affects my daily life a great deal, as I need help with everyday tasks able-individuals take for granted, but, with it's progression since infancy, I have learned to depend on myself for the little things, and, as a result, have become a stronger and more determined person.

I began self advocacy-volunteering for the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) in Spring 2007.  Through NYS DOH I got involved with KASA in Spring 2008, and continue to serve as a member on both youth advisory boards.