"My name is Aly, and I'm a storyteller."

In the summers, people ask me one question over and over again. “What do you do?” Good question. It’s a question that even I ask myself countless times. What do I actually do?

The fast answer is: “I do a lot of things. I work at Web Services, I nanny, I usher and tear tickets at the Wright Center, I do freelance photography and graphic design, and I am also shooting a documentary.”

While all of that is true, what I do goes much deeper than what initially meets the eye. When I share a piece of my life, most people think that I’m a creative who is working multiple jobs to get by. True.

But at the heart of it all, I am a storyteller.

At Web Services, I help tell the story of Samford University via the Internet. When I nanny, I am becoming part of a 12-year-old boy’s story and helping him create the story of his life. When I tear tickets at the Wright Center, I am providing an avenue for other people to experience the story that the artist on stage wants to share with his or her audience.

When I do freelance photography, I capture a quick moment of someone else’s story so they can share it with the world. When I design, I provide logos and digital images that help attract customers to my clients’ websites and businesses so my clients can share their story with them.

But my favorite part of storytelling right now is my work as a filmmaker. Recently, I’ve been allowed to enter the lives of homeless individuals in Birmingham, Alabama. I become part of their stories, which allows me to bring hope and joy into dark, broken stories. Then, I get to share those stories with the world through a documentary. Suddenly, stories are colliding, and when stories collide, change happens. Social justice happens.

I share stories so lives may be changed for the better.

I am a storyteller.