When I was a child watching television and movies - I always knew I needed to be with the people in that box or on that screen so - I could be safe and grow. My early days studying with Jean Shelton in Berkeley and performing in the Bay Area opened - my then very young eyes - to a new world of cultures, foods, universes. Having had my own child and raising him as a "solo parent" gave me an opportunity to experience a deeper wealth in life to cull from by seeing his childhood through his eyes.