Why is education while in the industry, or just in general, important to you?
It’s funny you ask this because I just signed up for some online courses! Education is important to me for so many reasons, so much so that answering this question has stressed me out and caused me to procrastinate in getting this interview done. I don’t want to shy away from this because I have so much to say, but I also don’t want to get too intense. I’ll do my best to find a happy medium.
First of all, lack of education is the key to so many of our problems in this world. I believe it's a combination of lack of education and fear. All of this ridiculous political stuff that is happening - banning people from entering our country, kicking people out who have lived here for years simply because they don’t have papers - is a prime example. To assume that all Muslim immigrants are the largest cause of violence in our country is complete and utter ignorance, or more nicely put, lack of education. If you do your research you will find that white American-born men have killed the most Americans on American soil. White. American. Men. That is a mental health problem, not an immigrant problem. The combination of lack of education and fear of the unknown are perpetuating this nonsensical lie. Fear of the unknown is human. How do we solve that? Education. Asking questions, spending time with people who are different from ourselves, only then do we begin to realize that just because someone dresses, speaks, lives, worships differently from us does not mean that they are a threat. We both still hurt, pray, laugh, eat, cry, dream, and love. We are all human with the same wants, needs, and fears.
I think education is especially important being an American citizen, or a citizen of anywhere where it is still legal to use the internet generally without consequence. The internet is a vast web of free information, and considering that a large population of the world still does not have access to the internet, or school, or simple things we take for granted every single day, reveals to me that I have a responsibility to those people. It is my responsibility as someone so privileged to have all of that information at my fingertips, to utilize it. To educate myself, so that whenever the opportunity presents itself to help people, I can. And to be sure that I am one of the people continuing to movecivilization forward to a more harmonious coexistence. There really is no excuse anymore for not knowing something. I’ve never been
good at politics. I never understood
how our government works. I didn’t start to care really until this recent election. It's become important to me to add my voice to the mix and be sure I am one of the people speaking on behalf of those who can't, and moving us forward - but how can I do that if I don't know how politics work? So I went to YouTube and began watching a 50 part series on our government (Crash Course US Government and Politics). Everything is right there online. If you access to the internet, and time to check instagram, there is no excuse for not knowing something anymore.
Now, the last thing. Education specifically while in the industry is important to me because of the platform that being an actor has given and will continue to give me. Being someone in the public eye comes again, in my opinion, with great responsibility. Whether I like it or not, people will listen to me. Kendall Jenner wears a new style of shirt, everyone wears it. It's ridiculous, but it's just the way it is. If my voice can possibly affect change or inspire someone's thinking, I sure as hell better know what I'm talking about.
What is your goal for the rest of 2017?
My goal for the rest of 2017 is to not stop working. When I’m not on set, I want to be working on my own endeavors at home, in the studio studying and taking online courses. For me this is the year of learning and creating.
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