Community Service
Volunteer
Houston Shakespeare Festival
The Houston Shakespeare Festival (HSF) has been a cherished tradition for over fifty years, offering free performances to the public and enriching the city’s cultural life. I’m proud to contribute to this civic celebration—whether through membership drives or outreach to summer camps at local libraries to promote theater and public speaking. Through this experience, I discovered the truth in Dame Judi Dench’s words: “Shakespeare is an international language, a beacon for humanity, and a bridge across cultures.” Inspired by this idea, I founded the Little Bards Academy (LBA) to make Shakespeare more accessible and engaging for young learners.
Little Bards Academy
Little Bards Chat Podcast
In 2024, my sister and I founded the Little Bards Academy and launched the Little Bards Chat podcast to make Shakespeare accessible, fun, and enriching for children and young learners. Through peer-to-peer group learning, workshops, and online content, we aim to demystify Shakespeare and spark curiosity. Each year, we focus on one of the two plays performed at the Houston Shakespeare Festival, adapting the material to suit young audiences and newcomers to Shakespeare’s works.
Little Bards Academy Website
Little Bards Chat Podcast
Community Tutor
Summer Express Tutor
Houston is a vibrant and diverse city, yet many students in Houston ISD struggle to reach grade-level reading proficiency by third grade. As the late Mayor Sylvester Turner once said, “Education is the civil rights issue of our time.” I’m committed to being part of the solution. Alongside my friends, I lead twice-weekly tutoring sessions for students from low-income families, focusing on literacy and foundational skills. We also incorporate life skills—such as swimming—to build confidence and promote overall well-being. Each summer, I join fellow St. John’s School students to run Summer Express, a program dedicated to teaching literacy, math, and essential life skills to refugee children living in the Houston area. The challenge is immense, but we approach it one student at a time, with hope and determination.
Animal Shelter
Houston’s animal shelters play a vital role in addressing the city’s growing stray animal population, which has reached crisis levels in recent years. Our family adopted our first pet—a rescue Chihuahua named Lucy—whose joyful spirit has brought so much warmth into our lives. In June 2025, my sister and I joined other student authors to donate the full proceeds from our anthology, A Fragile Sense of Awe, to Friends For Life Animal Shelter. Supporting their mission felt deeply personal, and receiving a grateful kiss from a happy dog was the most heartwarming reward of all.
