Alysha’s Introduction

Hello Pipeline Students!

I am going to introduce myself once more on the blog as part of the prompts you are receiving from Gina.

I am a part of the Navajo Nation in which my clans are Bitter Water, Tangle People, Red Running Into Water, and Bitter Water. My parents come from St. Michael’s and Ganado, Arizona, which is near Window Rock, Arizona.

I was born in Tucson, Arizona and grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico in which I became really involved in the New Mexican culture. Some of my favorite traditions that we have in Albuquerque include eating green chile on everything (I mean EVERYTHING: pizza, burritos, eggs, spaghetti, even ice cream…and it’s real authentic green chile that is super duper hot), going to the Balloon Fiesta every year (when traffic is at its wooooorst), and the beautiful sunsets. New Mexico’s motto is “Land of Enchantment” but most of us call NM the “Land of Entrapment” because no matter how bored you are of the state, or how hard you try to get out of the state, you always come back and find yourself never wanting to leave.

I am a living testimony to that phrase because even when I went to Tucson, Arizona for school, I still find myself missing so much about New Mexico….especially our local foods (Dion’s, Sadie’s, Twisters, Blake’s Lotaburger, Keva Juice, Olo Yogurt, Frontier, and Golden Pride…if you are ever in the area, try one of these places and you will not regret it!

Another thing I love about New Mexico is the fact that the entertainment industry is slowly expanding to our backyard. Movies and TV shows that were filmed in NM include: Marvel’s The Avengers (I actually saw them film…I saw the lovely RDJ from a distance), Breaking Bad (I met Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston at Garduno’s…another lovely local restaurant), and Better Call Saul (which they film near my mom’s work).

So besides the fact that I love New Mexico and its perks…I am obsessed with New York City. I’ve been in love with the city my whole life…so much that I know exactly which building I want to work in, where my apartment will be, and where my wedding ceremony and reception will be. I’ve traveled there twice for a week each and I fall more and more in love with it each time I visit. I’ve also been to Chicago, St. Paul, LA, San Diego, Austin TX, Gambier/Cleveland Ohio, Las Vegas, South Dakota, and El Paso TX. So I love traveling…a lot.

Things I like to do include filmmaking, taking pictures (even if they’re not so good), writing, socializing, stalking celebrities (no joke), spending time with my friends, and babysitting my two beautiful nieces.

As I said, I attend the University of Arizona as a Film Student. I plan on graduating in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts for Film/TV Production as well as a Bachelor’s in Business Marketing. With these two degrees, I plan on becoming a filmmaker so I can eventually open up my own studio production company. Once I am well-known in the entertainment industry, I plan on using my fame and studio to create an organization that deals with donating to charities and social organizations that celebrities and their fans can donate to. It’ll be a great organization to donate to especially when celebrities get paid soooo much and don’t often have the time to donate to charities themselves. So this organization will help encourage them to donate to charities, both large and small.

Other than that, I have been a part of the program for three years now. I attended as a student in 2012 and 2013 and this year is my first year as a mentor. I have always adored this program and have kept the relationships I have made (such as with Alejandro, Christa, Michael Derby, and others) so I am really blessed to be here once again but as a mentor.

I hope you all are very excited to attend the program because I was always excited to attend. This program prepared me for what to expect when applying to college so I am really grateful for the opportunity to come back.

Alysha White