Dana Terrace – Eminent Person Introduction

“Because us weirdos have to stick together. And nobody should be punished for who they are!”

– Luz Noceda in The Owl House

 

The eminent person that I chose is Dana Terrace who is an American animator, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and voice actress. I chose because she created one of my favourite shows promoting inclusion and exposure of the LGBTQ+  community. Doing this was very brave of Dana especially since it’s a show for and on Disney, which is a company that has a history of turning down or cutting short films or shows with LGBTQ+ representation. Although there was a high chance of the show not being very successful, or being cut short, Terrace took that risk for the purpose of exposing children to our community at an early age, and normalizing LGBTQ+ and not being “normal”. Her actions inspire me and make me want to work hard for normalizing being “weird”. Some qualities I have in common with Dana Terrace are that we are both part of the LGBTQ+ community and we both want to normalize that, and we both have a passion for cartoons, animations, and art. Dana Terrace exemplifies my own goals with TALONS because she inspires me to want to take risks, work hard, and overcome challenges so I can have a future where I help other people’s futures and make them feel safe just like Terrace did and is still doing. Some barriers I have with Terrace would be knowledge and experience with animation, and geography. Dana Terrace is a professional and successful producer and animator who lives in America. I can overcome these barriers by researching some struggles with animation and finding a way to know how she felt during the process of making the show. For the geography, I can research what it’s like to be a well-known openly LGBTQ+ person in America. This way, I’ll know how she feels right now, how she felt before, and I will be able to empathize with and evaluate her situations better. Although I connect with Dana Terrace, of course, Dana Terrace has made a much bigger impact on people’s lives than I have. Some impacts and contributions she made to the world of Disney Cartoons include being one of the first people of the LGBTQ+ community who are open about their sexuality to create a show for Disney, which was a very brave thing to do. Another contribution Dana Terrace made was being one of the first five women to create a show for Disney, which impacts the world of Disney Cartoons because she contributed to normalizing LBTQ+ people and women being as successful as straight men. Seeing a strong and independent LGBTQ+ women inspires me and many others to want to be like her, help normalize these things, and tell children that it’s okay to be “weird” and not fit in. Because of the impacts Dana Terrace made on some women and people of the LGBTQ+ community, she will be remembered by these people for very long and her impacts may even inspire more members of our community to step up take risks, and work hard for social betterment. Some obstacles Dana Terrace faced while on her rise to eminence would include doubt from her peers, friends and family. Terrace started dreaming about this show and impacting people with it long before it was created, and even from the formation of the idea, she was doubted and told that she couldn’t achieve her goals. She also received a lot of hate even after the show was created saying it would never become successful because of the LGBTQ+ representation. She overcame these challenges by brushing these comments off, taking risks, being brave, and working even harder to prove them wrong. Eventually, she did prove them wrong by creating an outstanding and successful show, and receiving many awards like the Dusty Award. Although she overcame many challenges already, there is another obstacle in her way right now. Dana Terrace’s show The Owl House, is getting cut short by Disney. Disney stated that this was because the show didn’t fit the “Disney image”, but many people believe it’s another case of discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community. Dana Terrace stands out and should be worth remembering because she made such a big impact on many people’s lives and inspired even more. Her work inspires people, including me, to work hard for the same reason she works hard, and makes people who “don’t fit in” or are “outcasts” know that they are safe, welcomed, and proud of who they are.

 

My next step in research would be overcoming our barriers.

 

 

Digital Footprint Assignment

1. How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities? Give at least two examples.

My first example of my digital footprint affecting my future opportunities is if I were to post a video or photo of myself doing illegal or morally bad actions or making bad decisions, it could negatively affect me because if people who I want to like me see those videos, they could start disliking me and I could lose an opportunity. For example, if someone was interviewing me to see if I’m fit for a job and see those videos, the chances of them turning me down increase. Another way my digital footprint can affect my opportunities is if I post a controversial opinion online. If I have an opinion that goes against a code of an organization or just goes against some people’s morals and they find those posts, I could lose more opportunities, but it also works the other way. If I post an opinion that goes with someone’s morals, they could like me better and I could potentially end up with more opportunities.

2. Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe.

I could keep all of my accounts private and avoid posting or sharing in public areas, if I were to have a public account, I would stop myself from sharing too much personal information, and I could delete old accounts and posts.

3. If you could go back in time, is there anything that you would do differently online? Think of what advice you would pass on to your younger self or other students.

I don’t go into public online spaces very often, if at all, so I don’t think there’s much that I would change other than telling my parents to not share too many photos of myself and my siblings online.

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