06/17/2026
I’m an introvert. I’m terrified of ‘peopling,’ as we all say. Anything to do with socializing or big meetings, that stuff always scares me because it’s a lot of people, a lot of pressure, like, ‘Oh God, I have to perform.’
But I figured if I joined these things, that could be one way to naturally meet people. My goal as a student was to get the contact information for the person who sat next to me in every class. It was a low-pressure enough goal. It was my way of getting out of my comfort zone, and that’s been a great benefit.
Later, I said yes to so many things thanks to Alicia Ashcroft, my mentor, because I was terrified. If I didn't have Alicia, I feel like I wouldn't have said yes to as many things...like being on camera. I don't like attention on me. But when she said, ‘I’ll be there to guide you,’ I was like, ‘Okay, somebody who is the master of cameras will be there for me, so I can just safely rely on her.’ That’s how I got through it.”
📸 credit: Deiveek Agarwal