I was born in Hackensack, New Jersey. I have a mixed cultural background; my father is a Cuban immigrant, and my mother is Sicilian, her side of the family passed through Ellis Island after WWII. Because of my parents I was exposed to both languages and cultures my whole life. But since the mutual language between them is English I never learned Spanish or Italian fluently. My Spanish is very basic, and my Italian minimal. I took French through middle school and high school and did a lot of self study, and now I am pretty semi-fluent in French. I also know a conversational amount of Korean due to my job.
In high school I had an internship in an art gallery in Chelsea, and through that I forged a relationship with writing. I began writing listings and press releases, my boss encouraged me to do it more and more often. Then when I began working at an artist residency program that is oriented towards Korean and Japanese artists, most are in the program on visas. Part of my job was to assist them with their English writing.
What truly interests me, or what I am truly passionate about is the arts. I have always loved museums and art. My goal in life is to have a job or career where I can be involved with art, like the saying “if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” So that is why I am studying at Baruch towards a major in arts administration. In the future I would love to work in a museum or an auction house, or own a gallery.
The playlist I put together to represent me to the class reflects just a portion of the music I listen to. It is comprised of musicians that are very much performance artists, their music expresses their uniqueness and distinct alternative perspective. The first song is Azealia Banks’ new single, I chose it because I think she is an amazing lyricist, and is a young entrepreneur who manages her own music career, she is also a Harlem native. The second song is by Mykki Blanco and Princess Nokia, both of whom are NYC natives. Mykki Blanco is an avant guarde queer artist, and Princess Nokia (aka Wavy Spice) who like Azealia Banks is an young independent artist who advocates female empowerment. The third track is by Zebra Katz, who has a very art school vibe, and his music videos include many artistic people from NYC. Track four is FKA Twigs, I chose her music because it has a really fresh sound, and her lyrics are deceptively deep. Track five is by Le1f, an openly gay artist that is a native New Yorker, I really like his style and his educated lyricism. Track six is the Los Angeles based artist Dumbfounded (aka Parker), I like the fun and comic vibe to his songs. Track seven is the club classic Alors On Danse by Stromae, it think it is great because the songs is a great to dance to but the lyrics are very depressing. Track eight is by Brooke Candy, a queer artist who utilizes a lot of visual performance, and is very involved in fashion. Track nine is by my favorite band Salem, the now defunct band is comprised of a trio who live a very alternative lifestyle in the Midwest of America. I love their music so much, and they have influenced my style a lot since high school. And the last track is buy the most well known person on my playlist, M.I.A., who is an amazing political activist who I admire.