My name is Amber Cypress, and I’m a student at the University of Alabama. I’m from Clewiston, Fl. I started photography in high school to reconnect with my culture. For most of my life, I struggled to understand who I was and where I came from. The majority of my loss of connection occurred at school. Being bullied in a predominantly white school made it difficult to establish a sense of belonging. Constantly being labeled as “too white” by my family and “too native” by my peers left me feeling isolated and disconnected. Despite trying to brush off the jokes and laughter, deep down, I longed to find a place where I could truly belong and be accepted for who I am. Photography became that outlet for me, allowing me to explore and reconnect with my culture in a way that felt authentic and empowering. Not only did I enjoy taking photos of my culture, I found a passion for sports photography! I enjoy capturing the emotion in sports people don’t tend to see or understand.