I was born and raised in the small village of Amanda, Ohio my entire life, recently leaving for school in Cincinnati, Ohio. I grew up deep in the woods, spending the majority of my childhood playing in the mud and getting lost in the woods. Not only do I love being in the woods, I also enjoy being a homebody and staying inside to watch a movie or read a good book. Some of my favorite movies are The Hobbit series, Hacksaw Ridge and Fantastic Mr. Fox. If you give me a good book filled with action, adventure and a little fantasy, I will have it finished within a few days. I believe my creative spark is fueled by my love of books and the adventures they hold. Many of my hobbies surround or require large amounts of creativity. I am actually a huge nerd in disguise. My absolute favorite hobby is creative writing; I currently have two novels in progress and I cannot wait to see them published one day. I have been painting my nails close to seven years now, and I absolutely adore the hours of meticulous painting of the fine details. 

I have been so blessed to have such a strong support system surrounding me as I figured out what I wanted to do in life. My parents have been so supportive of me through the countless career changes I had growing up. They fed into my hobbies and helped me decide what I did not want to go into. My main role model, who convinced me to apply for art school, was my high school art teacher, Brent Elam. E was more than just a teacher to me, he was a good friend. I would spend basically every hour in high school in his classroom, whether I had his class that period or not. He told me I had the skills and guts to make it in art school, so when it came time to apply to secondary schools, I applied to art schools. I graduated from Amanda Clearcreek High School in May of 2023, and was accepted into The College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP), at the University of Cincinnati just before. Now I am in my second year, on track to receive my Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), graduating in 2028. 

Outside of school, I can be found hanging out with my friends or hiding at home when I’m feeling a bit antisocial. I spend most of my week meeting up with friends from my on-campus church, H2O. I am a leader in one of our Bible study groups, called Westside, where I help make the material for the week and plan events. Jesus is the most important aspect of my life and I would not be here without Him. I am so blessed to be able to say I am part of such a strong Christian community who is always there for me. All of the projects I make at DAAP are centered around my faith and how it has impacted me. 

I plan to pursue a career in the photography world, specializing in commercial work. I hope to work in a studio, helping to promote products and foods.

Email: edmondmt@mail.uc.edu