Self Portrait

A mosaic of the things that are important to me & make up who I am-
family, friends, and good memories

Hello,

My name is Emily. I grew up in Clemson, South Carolina. Because of the University, it is a very diverse area. Many of my friends whose parents work there moved to Clemson from different countries, so a variety of cultures are represented in the area.  

Until I started college last year, I lived with my parents and my brother, Nick. My parents have always been very supportive of me, including my decision to go to film school. I have had a strong interest in art ever since I could pick up a pencil. This interest has only grown and led me to explore many branches of art, including visual art, music, and most recently film.

My mom is a kindergarten teacher and my dad teaches astronomy and physics at Clemson University. Nick is seventeen; we get along well, especially now that I live a few hours away. Sometimes I miss being home, but living independently has been an amazing experience. 

I would love to travel to Naples, Italy to see
where my roots are

Family is very important to me. I don't get to see my extended family very often because they live everywhere from California to New York to Florida, so I look forward to the occasional visits. Since we live so far away from our family, my mom tries very hard to maintain the traditions that she grew up with. Her grandfather came to the United States from Italy in 1907 and settled down in Waterbury, Connecticut. Her family kept up with some Italian customs, many of which pertain to cooking. My grandma, or Nonnie as we call her, always cooked homemade meals for my mom and her six siblings, and now my mom does the same for my brother and me. My parents love to cook with fresh vegetables, so we have a garden where they grow tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini, along with a number of other things. We normally have pasta with red sauce on Sunday nights. We celebrate Christmas Eve with the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes and at least eight different kinds of Italian cookies. 

I know very little about my dad’s ancestry, other than the fact that some of his extremely distant relatives came from Germany. Even so, I still have a strong connection to this heritage. When I was six, my family moved to Germany for a year. At the time I was too young to fully appreciate the opportunity, but the trip instilled in me an interest in the culture. In high school I decided to take a German language class and it brought back a lot of memories. I continued to take the class throughout the rest of high school and even got to participate in an exchange to Stuttgart my Junior year. I loved it so much that I decided to go back the next summer. I still keep in touch with my exchange partner and I plan on taking more German classes so I won’t forget how to speak the language.

Living in a foreign country also made me more open to trying new things. Based on my experience, the best advice I could give a young person coming to the U.S. would be to have patience. When I first arrived in Germany I was outside of my comfort zone, but I eventually adapted to the culture and it is now like a second home to me. I can’t wait for the opportunity to travel more and visit as many new places as possible.
Digital media plays a big role for me because it is so integrated into daily life, now more than ever since I’m studying film. Even though it can be extremely useful, I think a big problem for young people in the U.S. is letting media play too large of a role in our lives. I’m usually on my computer for at least 70 percent of my day, either doing homework or surfing the web. This isn’t to say that digital media is a negative thing; it is an important development and a wonderful addition to the world of art.