I began taking photos when I was 17 years old. I think I shot about two rolls with a borrowed camera. A great friend of mine and I spent the afternoon photographing landscapes and each other throughout the bluffs of my hometown, North Platte, Nebr. I didn't touch a camera again until I was a junior in college, 21 and studying journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This time I started shooting and never quite put my camera down again.

My pictures weren't always very good, but I worked long, late hours to improve. I tried to understand why some photos could have so much meaning while others just looked like some of those I took when I was a girl. They were mostly photos without feeling, only focusing on what was happening versus how people reacted. Graciously, many people encouraged me along the way, helping me understand what I was doing right and wrong. Eventually, I began to understand what makes a photo so great.

The answer was and still is expression. Sometimes, I have to be reminded of this as I look through frame after frame, trying to find the image that captures an event or person the best. Then, my mentors remind me of what the deepest meaning can be in one moment. It's our reactions to those events. Perhaps you were cheering or jeering during the student walkouts. Or maybe you were strolling through Arvin's health fair trying to educate your family. Maybe it was you laughing during that crazy Carlos Mencia show. But, those events would be nothing without our presence and experience.

So, as you see me out there in our community, please know that I am doing my best to portray who we are today. I strive to capture what resonates in our lives the most: our expressions.