Diversity is what I was born into. I'm half Italian and Persian, the daughter of two driven, artistic parents. My mom is a humanitarian, chef, and a renown Italian portrait artist. She sparked my huge interest in culinary and visual arts. I spend a majority of my freetime drawing, painting, or practicing photography. I've won awards for all my art mediums and I've sold many pieces. My father is an innovator in the Civil Engineering field, responsible for many famous structures and bridges, igniting a passion in me to create. I have designed and constructed functional structures such as an asian pagota and a toothpick bridge that held over 200 lbs.

Oftentimes I find myself wondering if there is anything out there I don't enjoy because I always find something creative to engage in to pass the time. I have a strong passion for singing and have participated in choirs and other vocal groups throughout grade school. Through this, I was blessed to perform in many group and solo pieces in places like Disneyland, Concordia Irvine, and Iceland. I am currently working with a music producer in Reno, Nevada to explore my options with work. 

I'm fascinated by the process of watching an idea become a functional product, which is why I believe Lassonde would be the perfect place for me to thrive. Entrepreneurship has flowed through my veins since I was 16 years old participating in my High School DECA club. After winning three medals at our statewide competition, I found my passion for entrepreneurship and immediately switched majors from biology to pre-business. I started a small business in my hometown where I would paint custom quotes in calligraphy on wooden blocks. I am also in the process of creating a prototype for an art tool I am creating. This summer, I will be interning with a prominent marketing company in Las Vegas in hopes to narrow down my interests in the business field. 

For the past six years, I've volunteered with Dinner On Us, my mother's non-profit organization that prepares monthly, ethnically diverse meals and entertainment to the homeless of the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. I’ve been in charge of searching for performers, preparing food, collecting donations, and gathering volunteers. Event planning has always been a passion of mine. We have fed over 25,000 meals to date. To add to this, being a part of Girl Scouts all my life has helped me connect with my community. In 2011, I created a anti-bullying campaign called One Act Today Heals (OATH) in the Downtown Las Vegas Container Park. At 11 years old I recruited guest speakers, like Nicolas Cage, and hired food caterers, like Pinkbox Donuts, for my event. For my Gold Award project, I created an organization in 2016 called “Pair Them Up". Through this, I was able to hold frequent events for those next two years to collect donations for the homeless of Las Vegas. This is still a sustainaned organization beyond my involvement, but I collected thousands of toiletries, socks, blankets, and other necessities in my three years of commencement. 

During my senior year of High School, I was given an assignment to write a research paper on anything in the world I had a question about. I wrote mine about conjoined twins. After extensive research, I found my topic extremely interesting and decided to use my passion for writing to write a fictional novel about a set of conjoined twins. Currently, I am still in the prewriting stage of my book, but my storyline is coming together smoothly and quickly. I am also starting a cook book full of all the amazing Italian food my mother has taught me to make over the years.

My diverse personal background may have led to my eclectic interests, which rooted in a firm business mindset, have clarified that transferring to Lassonde at the University of Utah is the absolute best fit for me. I would be grateful for the opportunity to fully develop this passion for entrepeneurship at Lassonde.