Page 82 - Demo

82 || FASHION M AG A Z I NE You have spent most of your young life living in California. Tell us what it%u2019s like growing up in the city of Angles. As an only child, you must spend quite a bit of time with family, what are some of the things you like to do together?Los Angeles really is full of opportunity and there is so much to do from the beaches to the city. I live in a really beautiful town called Calabasas, west of LA. I love it, but I think it is also a place where you have to remain humble and grounded. Too many people get caught up with what everyone else is doing and it just becomes superficial so it is important to stay true to yourself and surround yourself with genuine people and focus on yourself and not compare yourself to others.I was actually born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, in a town called South Barrington, until about the age of 9 or 10 when I started living most of my time in California, so it was a bit of an adjustment. I was already quite familiar with L.A. because my parents always had a home in Palm Desert, which is about 2 hours east of L.A., when I was growing up. They loved getting away in the winter because Chicago has the most brutal weather! Although gorgeous and sunny in Palm Desert, it can get boring so we would end up in LA on the weekends. We also had property in Hawaii and I remember traveling between the 3 places with my parents every year. My dad loves to golf and my mom loves the beach, so growing up I remember golfing with him a lot in the desert and finding seashells and watching the sea turtles and playing in the sand building castles with them at the beach! While in Chicago, my parents took me to a lot of plays and theatre performances. It is really where my love for the entertainment industry was found. I wanted to be on that stage! My dad also loves to cook so holidays were always usually spent at our house in IL with all the family coming to our house for my dad%u2019s amazing cooking! I am very close with my parents and I love being with my family. Family is very important to me.Pursuing a career in the entertainment industry requires a certain determination, strong sense of self & resilience. What are some of the values & encouragements your parents have shared with you to keep you positive & motivated?My parents treated the entertainment industry as a hobby for me since I was so young. They never pressured me into anything or pushed me too hard. If I wanted something badly, they would make sure I was prepared, but never put too much pressure on me. They wanted to make sure I loved every minute of it and that it stayed fun for me! Although they taught me that it was still very important to be professional and instilled an Q&A