My name is Samantha and I am Phoenix Center of the Arts Summer Marketing and Communications Intern. I am extremely grateful to be here and so happy to have been given this opportunity. I always wanted to work alongside and with people who have similar values as me such as encouraging creativity, acknowledging the need for creative education and clubs, and community building. I love Arizona, I love the people of Arizona, and I want to be a part of something bigger than myself. Creativity is extremely important and offering that to the community through classes, showcases, peer and teacher support, etc. is something I really stand by. I am a big believer in helping those around me and encouraging my friends, family, and peers to pursue any hobbies or passions they want to explore.

For a little more about me, I was born in Chicago but was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I recently graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences with concentrations in Digital Culture and Social Transformation. Throughout school I held multiple jobs and was able to maintain a GPA of above 4.0, which allowed me to be on the Dean’s List and graduate Summa Cum Laude. It was really important to me to get a higher education and do well in school because I saw the value of a degree from a young age. My mom was the first in our family to get a college education and I was able to see first hand how education can truly transform one’s life. I would love to go back to school and get a Master’s degree someday in the future, but for now I am adjusting to life as a college graduate and trying to envision what I want my future to look like.

Along with trying to adapt to my life post-graduation, I am also an artist and have been pursuing my own creative explorations, projects, and commissions for some time now. I would love to get into a gallery space and be able to show my latest exhibition “Barely There” when it becomes more developed. I started this project in the last semester of college for my capstone showcase. The showcase ended up being more of a mini exhibition consisting of collages, split scanned images, handmade books and journals, self portraits, a multichannel experimental film, and 3D/2D animations. “Barely There” focused on how it feels to lose memories as you age, grieve childhood, and what navigating generational trauma has looked like for me and my family. The capstone showcase was a huge success for me and I was so excited to be able to share such a meaningful and vulnerable project with my peers, family, friends, and professors. The encouragement I got from my professor throughout the whole process of creating “Barely There” is what really helped me succeed. But what encouraged me and drove me the most to succeed was the determination to show my mom and sisters how far I have come with my art and self growth.

Another project I pursued was selling my digital artwork to then turn the proceeds over to non profit organizations here in Phoenix. I was able to sell art through social media and donate to Puente Arizona, Navajo Nation, and Black Lives Matter Phoenix. I want to continue to pursue this type of philanthropic/humanitarian work and raise money for organizations I personally support.

I am so excited to be here and have felt incredibly welcome, thank you to Phoenix Center of the Arts for giving me this invaluable experience and opportunity.

Art by Samantha Lass