Collaboration and leadership have been central to my development as a student,designer, and person overall. Through various projects, I've learned the importance of working with others to bring ideas to life, adapting to challenges, and helping to guide and streamline teams toward common goals. I'd first like to share three major projects that I think highlight these skills: "Stray", “Abeona”, and the data visualization project for the Edmonds School District. Creating the music video for "Stray" was both the most fun and in different ways challenging project I've undertaken at school.

Collaborating with ARZE, we crafted a visual narrative that matched the emotional depth of his song. The video tells the story of a boy who washes up on the shores of Washington and embarks on a journey seeking love, warmth, and shelter in a harsh, gloomy environment. Despite his efforts, he ultimately decides to leave in search of a fresh start elsewhere.I was mostly responsible for conceptualizing the story and cinematography helping find the look and feel for the video. This involved developing shot lists, scouting locations, and coordinating shoot dates. I worked with a small team of videographers, ensuring that everyone's strengths were utilized effectively. One significant challenge was filming in cold weather conditions while keeping the artist safe and comfortable. This required a lot of planning, adaptability, and good communication with the team. This experience taught me the importance of teamwork and leadership. I learned how to listen to different perspectives, mediate conflicts, and keep the project moving forward. Leading this team helped me develop my ability to coordinate complex projects and reinforced the value of collaboration in achieving a shared vision.

Designing the Abeona travel application was a new venture that pushed me out of my comfort zone. Me and a team was tasked with creating a user interface for an app aimed at helping women safely travel the world, I had to learn and apply user centered design principles. I conducted research to understand the needs and concerns of women travelers, and collaborated with my team to review and refine the app's features. This project emphasized the importance of considering the user's perspective and highlighted how collaboration enhanced the design process. I was tasked with creating the ideation and first draft of the app as well as  making user profiles to best understand who we were making the app for.  By then gathering feedback and working closely with others, I was able to help create an interactive experience that was both functional and meaningful. This approach not only improved our final product but also taught me the value of diverse input and effective communication in collaborative work.

In a data visualization course, I teamed up to analyze data from the Edmonds School District. Our project focused on how communication between teachers and parents affects student performance, particularly across different racial groups. We found that increased parental involvement correlated with better student performance, and that white/Caucasian families had an easier time communicating with teachers. Working on this project required us to collaborate closely and share leadership responsibilities. We divided tasks based but made decisions collectively to ensure a cohesive presentation. Handling sensitive data and topics meant we had to communicate a lot to make sure we had a wide variety of data, this really strengthened our teamwork and the project's impact. I believe this experience showcased my skills in evaluating and visualizing data, important abilities in today's digital world. It also highlighted how effective collaboration can lead to deeper insights and more meaningful outcomes. These projects have been instrumental in shaping my collaboration and leadership abilities. Whether leading a creative team on a music video, designing with user needs in mind, or working with peers on data analysis, I've learned the importance of communication, adaptability, and mutual respect. These experiences have not only enhanced my technical skills but also prepared me to contribute positively in any collaborative environment.