Listening to Jenny Pisani speak about her experiences with poetry made me think back and relate these experiences to my own. When I was younger, I dreamed of becoming a professional musician. Although poets and musicians are very different, they both fall into the category of artists. As someone who is passionate about the arts, I was constantly being told that you have to be the best to make it in this field. However, one of the most important lessons from Jenny’s speech was that regardless of what others say, it is important to do whatever makes you happy. I think that hearing from Jenny’s experiences was especially valuable to me because she was able to relate to me along with the entire audience. Her background, specifically growing up in Staten Island and completing the Macaulay Honors program, will allow students with similar interests to feel inspired.

In addition to this, I found it truly inspiring to see the love that she has for poetry. She spoke softly yet effectively. This was apparent when I was watching her perform a personal poem. I have never heard anyone perform a personal poem, which is why this experience is one that stood out to me. Furthermore, the content of her poem was particularly relevant to the current pandemic. The message from this poem is something that we can use in our everyday lives, which was to connect with others. Another reason as to why her passion for poetry was evident was because when she went to Cambodia, she hosted events where she and others were able to share their personal poems. She could’ve easily continued her poetry as a hobby, but she was able to engage others with the same interest in poetry. This can be taken as a lesson for anyone, regardless of the field that they are going in. If you love what you do, you can implement it in any location that you are in. Thus, I enjoyed this experience with the guest speaker, Jenny Pisani, because I became more aware of the opportunities for artists and became inspired by her passion.