On Cosplay:
When I was a sophomore in high school, (2000/2001) I began playing Final Fantasy VIII- purely for the fact that I thought the TV commercial for the game looked "cool". It should be known that I was never a big video game fan before this. Video games began to intruige me, which led me to a local arcade where I discovered Dance Dance Revolution. A good friend of mine who had attended Anime Central 2001 told me that I would enjoy the con and that I should go. At this point in time, I began to become friends with people who were heavily into video games and anime, so I figured I would give the convention a try. I attended my first convention, Anime Central 2002, in my first cosplay, Alice from DDR 5th mix. I continued attending Acen, then started going to other conventions, starting with Anime Reactor, moving to Otakon, to Ohayocon, Anime Iowa and to Anime Expo! Once I had gotten my first taste of cosplay, I knew I had to keep making costumes.

On Fashion:
Up until the end of my 2nd year of college, I was unsure of what I really wanted my major to be. I was always an artistic person, but what was the field that I enjoyed the most? My love for sewing costumes quickly became the driving force which made me choose my major of Fashion Design. I attended Columbia College of Chicago from 2005 until May of 2008, when I graduated with a BFA in Fashion Design. At first I didn't have a broad knowledge of the histories of fashion designers, but I quickly became enthralled during lecture classes discussing these famous designers. Fashion school definitely taught me all of the RIGHT ways to sew, something that I'm eternally grateful for. I am skilled in clothing/costume construction, patternmaking, draping, fashion illustration, and of course designing clothing & costumes!