My mother worked as a surgical nurse, often picking me up late from the Catholic Montessori School I attended, long after the other children had gone home. While my school days encouraged creative thinking and self-motivation, it was during those late afternoons that I truly found my passion, under the care of a very kind nun. Together, we would spend the afternoons coloring and creating, waiting for my mother. Freed from the rules and expectations of the classroom, this is where my love for art and my sense of identity first began to intertwine. I enjoyed the feel of crayons in my hand, racing across blank pages, unconsciously unlocking wonders. I felt safe and could create make-believe worlds as I navigated and expressed my own.