Years before I became Aquillia “Q” Mikel, the writer and (almost) aerialist, I became addicted to television. Gathering around the family tv set was the only way that my family ever engaged in authentic discussion. We rarely talked about young women going through puberty or why we were angry at God without some visual cues from Norman Lear or a Disney Channel production.

Chicago is my hometown and I will always brag about my ability to survive absurdly long winters. (Oh. “You’re from Chicago too?” Where did you go to high school?) I taught 7th-12th grade Lit for almost ten years and that work will forever change my life for the better, even though I’m ecstatic to never make lesson plans in Panera Bread again (too.much.bread) or cover up my tattoos with Band-aids. I’ve lived under canvas tents in Tanzania, harvested chocolate in Ecuador, and I am a very nervous flier, so I will snitch on you if you don’t put your phone in airplane mode.

Now, I’m in LA working towards the dream: becoming a revolutionary and impactful comedy showrunner who highlights the Westside of Chicago, hires all of her interested former students who want to work in the biz, and then retires to an undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest when I’m 50 because I, too, sing America- but I do not dream of labor.