Oriana Nelson is a fourth-year Spanish concentrator on the creative arts track from Piscataway, NJ. Her passion for the performing arts led her to pursue minors in theater and musical theater as well. At nine, she received her first role as Nala from The Lion King. This experience catapulted her into the acting realm as she fell in love with the intricacies of portraying another person’s story. While in college, Oriana acted in a wide range of theatrical productions from a musical to a choreopoem. Her favorite role was from a senior thesis about black love, which allowed her to indulge in the power of monologues and improvisation. This led her to explore identity-based theater. Consequently, she became the president of the Black Theater Collective on campus and aims to write a thesis centered on the stories of Caribbean Afro-Latinos to shed light on voices that are often silenced. Besides acting, Oriana loves to sing, dance, and travel. For this TYT cohort, she aspires to create a safe space that prioritizes mental health and explores different sectors of theater and creative expression.