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Children are heavily influenced by their parents and Ayah Talavera, a young adult who dreams of becoming a creative producer, is no exception. Talavera is from Sayreville, New Jersey and at 21 years old, is a junior currently at Montclair State University (MSU). Her major is Communication and Media Arts. She transferred from Middlesex College because of MSU’s great media program and from recommendations from Montclair alumni. To Ayah Talavera the College of the Arts has a “diverse teaching staff” and she hopes to network and make connections during her time at Montclair so she can get insight and recommendations into the media industry. Although she may seem like a normal college student, Talavera is a hardworking, well-rounded, and driven individual which stemmed from the variety of activities she participated in during her childhood.

After reading the above paragraph you may wonder how Talavera is so hardworking and career oriented. Mrs. Talavera had a large part to play in this. Her mother is a senior technical designer for major fashion companies such as J. Crew, Michael Kors, and Ralph Lauren to name just a few. Mrs. Talavera had this dream to be a part of the fashion industry ever since she was young and through hard work she was able to achieve this goal.  During an interview with Ayah Talavera she stated, “She, [Talavera’s mother]  is an inspiration especially because she has always been an example for me to reach for my goals no matter what they are, because doing what you love in life is the most important thing you can do for yourself.”

As a child, Talavera was afraid of learning new and different things. Getting out of her comfort zone, like many, was an unknown destination that her parents pushed her towards. They encouraged her to “always try her best”. As a young child, her parents had her participate in a variety of activities. She learned to ride horses, and although she no longer does, she still has a Palomino Quarterhorse named Pal. From being around horses at such an early age, Ayah Talavera developed a fondness for animals.  Her love of animals led her to begin to care and think about environmental protection. This passion made her consider pursuing a career in zoology or environmentalism; however with later consideration both of these were not seen as the “best option” in Talavera's opinion. Regardless of her career choice, she has adapted her lifestyle to be plant based and low waste, developing her skills of self-discipline and consideration for things larger than herself.

Art was another craft that Talavera began creating when she was young. In her mind’s eye painting “is a very therapeutic hobby”; she has continued to paint through quarantine and hoan in on specific skills in painting. Building up texture are her paintings is just one of the areas she has worked to improve on. Additionally, she branched and taught herself how to create posters and art work using an online graphic design program. Talavera plans to use this skill she obtained during graphic design and/or public relations internships.

Being a well-rounded individual shows that they are familiar with  adapting to a variety of situations and people. This is something that places Ayah Talavera above other students, who have less experience stepping out of their comfort zone and are afraid to learn unfamiliar things.