From d’Aulnoy and Perrault to Disney: A Comparative Study of Fairy-Tale Adaptations and Fan Fiction
In the realm of storytelling, the adaptation of stories has existed for centuries. As time progressed and new media emerged, people have found new ways to adapt stories—a practice that continues today, especially through fan fiction. To trace the history and evolution of fairy-tale adaptations, it is helpful to separate them into two distinct eras: the pre-Disney and post-Disney eras. This separation arises from Disney’s focus on adapting European tales, which solidified its influence on the modern fairy-tale canon. However, before Disney’s rise, European fairy tales were already being shaped and popularized by influential writers whose works laid the foundation for the stories well-known today. While numerous European fairy-tale writers gained popularity before Disney, two writers stood out as key figures: Madame d’Aulnoy (1650-1705) and Charles Perrault (1628-1703). D’Aulnoy’s works were widely adapted in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries but are less-known today, whereas Perrault’s tales remain relevant in both eras.
To better understand the evolution of fairy-tale adaptations, Dr. Anne Kustritz, Assistant Professor in Media and Culture Studies at Utrecht University, identifies three distinct storytelling eras that reveal the transformation of fairy-tale adaptations: the oral folklore era, the emergence of the modern media industry alongside copyright laws, and the contemporary digital age defined by user-generated content and transmedia narratives.[1] Within these eras, differences in the adaptation of fairy tales can be attributed to two central factors: copyright and the emergence of the internet. Before Disney’s rise as a dominant force, there was significant creative freedom to adapt and distribute fairy tales. However, this freedom faced constraints due to Disney’s contradictory approach—adapting fairy tales for its films while restricting others from doing the same. The advent of the internet has since provided new avenues for adapting fairy tales through fan fiction, albeit with certain limitations. This review examines the evolution of creative freedom in fairy-tale adaptations, contrasting the unrestricted storytelling of pre-Disney writers like d’Aulnoy and Perrault with Disney’s monopolistic control through copyright laws. By analyzing the transformative impact of the internet on contemporary adaptations, including fanfiction, this review argues that the digital age has revived a level of creative freedom reminiscent of the pre-Disney era, though persistent legal restrictions continue to shape the boundaries of adaptation.
Eugen Kilmsch, Snow White and the dwarfs, 1895, From The New York Public Library, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/69442d4b-78fe-76b8-e040-e00a18065389.
A Brief History of European Tales
Prior to Disney’s era, a back-and-forth interaction existed between oral and written fairy-tale traditions. Literary scholar and author Jack Zipes explains that until the seventeenth century, oral folk tales in France were perceived to be a part of the “common people’s tradition,” leading the aristocracy to consider them unworthy of transcription into formal literature.[2] A few notable exceptions for folk tales were made among European aristocrats, such as for the Italian writers Giovanni Francesco Straparola (1480-1557) and his collection The Pleasant Nights, and Giambattista Basile’s (1566-1632) The Pentamerone.[3] Professor Emerita of English and author Cristina Bacchilega highlights that Straparola’s and Basile’s works, which laid the foundation for the fairy tale as a print genre during the sixteenth century in Venice and seventeenth century in Naples, would become inspiration for d’Aulnoy and Perrault.[4]
Before the twentieth century, fairy tales by d’Aulnoy and Perrault were integral to European fairy-tale canons. To understand the distinctions between the period before and after Disney’s influence, I will employ Kustritz’s categorization of three storytelling eras. The first era encompasses literary fairy tales, like the ones by Straparola and Basile, that gained popularity among female French aristocratic writers in a period where authors did not have to worry about copyright issues. These women played a pivotal role in the publishing of fairy tales. Their works, dating back to seventeenth-century France, not only found popularity in their time but also continued to influence fairy-tale traditions in various countries for centuries. A notable figure among them is d’Aulnoy, credited with coining the term “conte de fees,” or fairy tales. Professor of fairy-tale studies Anne Duggan mentions that she was a frequenter of salons and hosted her own as well, engaging in literary discussions with her female contemporaries that ranged from the topics like patriarchy and equality to monarchy.[5]
Along with coining the term “fairy tale,” d’Aulnoy was among the first in France to publish a fairy tale, titled “The Island of Felicity.” Her stories, found within her four-volume collection Contes des fées, including “The Bee and the Orange Tree,” gained popularity upon their release and continued to captivate audiences in England, Italy, and the German states for centuries to come.[6] However, d’Aulnoy’s tales resonated particularly with female writers in nineteenth-century Germany. Assistant Professor of Integrated Studies in the Arts and Humanities Julie Koehler noted that female German writers, inspired by d’Aulnoy’s stories, often depicted the real-life challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society and how these female characters overcame these obstacles.[7]During this era, German writers encountered d’Aulnoy’s tales, either in oral form as they became “folklorized” or through written texts. They adapted these stories to align with their own narratives, often emphasizing the empowering qualities of the female characters rather than focusing solely on romantic themes. Some noteworthy adaptations of “The Bee and the Orange Tree” include “The Giant’s Forest” by an anonymous, presumably female, German writer, “The Okerlo” by Jeanette Hassenpflug (1788-1856), and “The Bitter Orange Tree and the Bee” by Karoline Stahl (1776-1837).[8] Over the decades, numerous female German writers continued to expand upon d’Aulnoy’s tales through their retellings, publishing a wide range of works including plays, novels, operas, and fairy-tale collections.[9] While d’Aulnoy may not be as widely recognized today as some other prominent fairy-tale authors, her lasting influence across Europe and the multitude of adaptations her tales inspired firmly establish her as a foundational figure in the realm of fairy tales, predating the Disney era.
Gustave Doré, Les Contes de Perrault, 1864, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1969.
In seventeenth-century France, alongside d’Aulnoy, a prominent figure in the realm of fairy-tale literature was Charles Perrault. What sets Perrault apart from d’Aulnoy is that, although both were eminent contributors to the genre, Perrault’s tales continue to enjoy enduring popularity even in the contemporary, post-Disney era. Perrault composed his fairy tales in the late seventeenth century, specifically from 1694 to 1697. Lydie Jean at University of Paris IV Sorbonne notes that his most popular publication is his collection of tales titled Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals (Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités), which was published in 1697.[10] Among these tales were the notable “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge” (“Little Red Riding Hood”), “La Belle au Bois Dormant” (“The Sleeping Beauty”), “Le Chat botté” (“Puss in Boots”), “Cendrillon” (“Cinderella”), and “Barbe bleue” (“Bluebeard”). Perrault modified these tales, which had origins in Basile and traditional folklore, to cater to the aristocratic audiences who enjoyed his stories in Parisian salons.[11] These modified versions of his tales would go on to be adapted further and remain popular into the twenty-first century.
Similar to the tales by d’Aulnoy, Perrault’s stories served as foundational sources for subsequent adaptations by renowned figures in the world of fairy tales, including the Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney Studios. Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), collectively known as the Brothers Grimm, made significant contributions to the genre in nineteenth-century Germany with their famous collection, Kinder Und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales). Among their notable adaptations were of Perrault’s tales, “Aschenputtel” (“Cinderella”), “Rotkäppchen” (“Little Red Riding Hood”), “Dornröschen” (“Sleeping Beauty”), and “Blaubart” (“Bluebeard”). The Grimm Brothers’ versions often featured darker elements, aligning with their original intent to collect and preserve authentic folk narratives. They frequently included darker themes, distinguishing their adaptations from Perrault’s more familiar and lighter renditions. The Walt Disney Company also adapted Perrault’s tales, producing animated films based on “Cendrillon” and “La Belle au Bois Dormant.” Unlike the Brothers Grimm, Disney reimagined these adaptations entirely to fit his own vision and American values, turning them into lighter versions that became widely popular.[12] Although Disney’s adaptations are what most people associate with fairy tales today, the continued popularity of tales adapted from Perrault, along with adaptations of his other works, solidify his status as a canonical figure whose influence transcends both the pre-Disney and post-Disney eras.
Disney as the Canon of Today
The second era mentioned by Kustritz is the era of the modern media industry and copyright law, which led fairy tales to become partly domesticated, meaning they were adapted and controlled by companies for commercial use.[13] The domestication of fairy tales and the issue of copyright laws, which hindered further ability to adapt fairy tales, led to criticism for one company in particular, Walt Disney Studios.[14] Before delving into the studio’s history, it is important to note that before copyright laws became an issue, fairy-tale writers were allowed to freely adapt and change the narratives of popular fairy tales without fear of legal consequences. An example of this is the Cinderella tale, with the first European literary version being written in the seventeenth century by Basile, who named the character Zezolla. Basile’s Zezolla later inspired the character “Finette-Cinders” in d’Aulnoy’s version of the tale and Perrault’s “Cinderella.”[15] We can further see how fairy-tale retellings were free of restriction when we see how d’Aulnoy and Perrault specifically adapted Basile’s Cinderella tale, “La Gatta Cenerentola” (“The Cat Cinderella”), to tailor to their personal beliefs and narratives.
Basile’s “Zezolla,” also known as “Cinderella,” is powerful and acts assertively to achieve her desires, making her a strong female protagonist. When Perrault adapted Basile’s tale in “Cendrillon,” he molded Cinderella’s character to conform to his conservative views on gender.[16] In Perrault’s retelling, Cinderella becomes submissive, in stark contrast to Basile’s version, she obeys and endures mistreatment without resistance. D’Aulnoy then went on to adapt the tale by combining Perrault’s “Cendrillon” with elements from Marie-Jeanne L’Heritier’s (1664-1734) “The Clever Princess,” which featured a character named Finette, who exhibited cleverness and was able to protect herself. In d’Aulnoy’s adaptation titled “Finette Cendron,” she creates a more empowered heroine, Finette-Cinders, who takes a proactive approach to resolving dangerous situations: defeating ogres and saving herself without relying on a prince.[17] The contrast between Perrault’s “Cinderella” and d’Aulnoy’s “Finette-Cinders” exemplifies how stories were adapted to align with their authors’ beliefs and narrative artistic style, giving rise to creative works in an era with no legal constraints.
In the late nineteenth century, film emerged as a new medium for storytelling. In the early 1920s, Walt Disney (1901-1966) established the Laugh-O-Gram Studio, producing short films titled “Laugh-O-Grams.” Three years later, the studio faced bankruptcy, and Walt, along with his brother Roy Disney (1893-1971), co-founded The Disney Company. Their first feature-length animated film was released in 1937, titled Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which drew inspiration from the Grimms’ fairy tale “Sneewittchen.” They later adapted Perrault’s versions of “Cinderella” in 1950 and “Sleeping Beauty” in 1959. Compared to their sources, these films were adapted to be more child-friendly and fit an overarching “American Dream” narrative. The movies became popular among families and reached worldwide audiences, ingraining Disney in American culture and establishing the company as a household staple. Today, Disney is considered to represent the contemporary fairy-tale canon, serving as the primary introduction to fairy tales for many individuals.[18] According to Zipes, Walt Disney’s deep connection to fairy tales in the early twentieth century led to his name becoming almost synonymous with the genre itself.[19] Although Disney fairy-tale films still remain popular among both children and adults, criticism has arisen due to the corporation’s approach to adapting the tales and its firm control over the animated versions of the tales.
Walt Disney in 1935 on Place de la Concorde in front of Hôtel de Crillon, https://picryl.com/media/walt-disney-1935-cdf9f6.
One main way in which Disney has been able to exert control over their fairy-tale films is through the threat of legal action due to copyright laws. Copyright can be understood as a legal framework that grants creators, and those they permit, the exclusive right to reproduce their works. Honors student Dina Arouri explains how the progression of copyright laws throughout history has directly influenced the emergence and evolution of contemporary fairy tales.[20] Early copyright laws allowed original stories to be adapted by different publishers, but over time, copyright laws have “strengthened in scope and scale, [and] the ability to create derivative works and variations of text became more challenging.”[21] Furthermore, the unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted works can result in legal ramifications.[22]
As stated by professor emeritus Donald Haase, the first instance in which Disney’s approach to ownership became an issue was when they adapted the Brothers Grimm version of “Schneewittchen” or “Snow White,” and called it Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was perceived as Disney laying claim to the tales.[23] This issue persisted when Disney filed a lawsuit against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1989 for using the figure of Snow White in a comedic sketch during its televised award ceremonies due to their belief that the character was being “treated in an unflattering manner.”[24] However, ironically, in the same year, Disney went on to adapt Hans Christian Andersen’s (1805-1875) “La Sirenetta” (“The Little Mermaid”) and built upon his version while simultaneously copyrighting the movie and preventing other variations of the tales to be created without the risk of legal repercussions.[25]
The controversy surrounding Disney’s copyrighting of its films stems from the limitations it imposes on the creative process of drawing inspiration from existing works and building upon them, a process that is valuable to the fairy-tale genre.[26] In the pre-Disney era, the adaptation of fairy tales allowed for creative retellings spanning centuries, fostering a rich tradition of storytelling. However, copyright has discouraged this type of creativity, hindering the ability of creatives to adapt Disney’s versions of the tales to fit modern society and current popular narratives. Zipes argues that Disney’s commercialization of fairy tales through merchandise and media adaptations has also overshadowed the communal aspect of storytelling and adaptation, inherent to the literary genre.[27] Beyond the issue of Disney’s ironic use of copyright, there are further issues in the way Disney adapted popular fairy tales.
A persistent critique of Disney’s adaptations revolves around the perceived tendency to Americanize and romanticize traditional tales, actions that critics argue betray and undermine the original narratives and themes.[28] Notably, Disney’s renditions of classic stories such as “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty” involve the omission of violent elements and adjustments to resonate more with American audiences in the twentieth century. These alterations, influenced by sentiments related to feminism, race relations, family dynamics, and the pursuit of the American dream, are evident in most of the narratives.[29] For instance, Disney places emphasis on the notion of an incomplete family without at least one child and perpetuates the idea that a happy life culminates in finding true love.[30] Zipes further critiques Disney’s modifications, using Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as an illustrative case. Zipes contends that rather than exploring the narratives of the Grimms’ version, Disney manipulates the narrative to self-glorify and showcase his prowess as an animator.[31] Disney does this by embedding himself into the story through the character of the prince, who appears briefly, yet ultimately takes full credit for saving Snow White, similar to how Disney places his name prominently on the film while minimizing the contributions of his animators.[32] Despite these critiques, it is imperative to recognize that opinions regarding Disney’s adaptations may not be universally just. Disney’s approach to altering narratives to align with his creative vision mirrors a longstanding tradition among fairy-tale adapters. Deciding whether these adapted narratives are agreeable or not is inherently subjective and depends on individual perspective. The notable concern among critics pertains to the perceived unfair and paradoxical use of copyright, hindering writers and creatives from reimagining Disney’s film versions without the threat of legal consequences. It is noteworthy, however, that this dynamic has evolved with the advent of the internet.
Walter Crane, Household Stories from the Collection of the Brothers Grimm, 1882, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917.
Adaptations Through Fan Fiction
The surge of user-generated content, intricately linked to the emergence of the internet, constitutes a critical point in the tradition of adapting and retelling fairy tales, reminiscent of the eras of d’Aulnoy and Perrault. The internet granted unrestricted access to an array of online platforms, including blogs, forums, and a variety of social media sites. Within these digital spaces, users found unprecedented avenues to engage in the reimagining and adaptation of fairy tales without fearing copyright laws. Creatives on the internet found a way to retell different stories and fairy tales by adding new elements and transforming the work under the protection of the fair use doctrine.[33] According to the fair use doctrine in copyright law, creators are allowed to create new versions of previous works as long as they build upon or change certain elements of the particular story and do not seek commercial gain.[34] As a result, the internet facilitated the rapid global dissemination of derivative works among individuals with internet access. This technological development provided fans across diverse media genres with an innovative avenue for the transformation and spreading of their creative works, free from concerns pertaining to copyright restrictions, as long as they were abiding by fair use laws. It is in this era that the rise of fan fiction began.
Fan fiction, according to author and Professor of Informatics Rebecca Black, refers to stories created by fans which are built upon existing media, and adapted by enthusiasts to craft their unique narratives.[35] Much like what was happening in the eras of d’Aulnoy and Perrault, fans of various works took those stories and changed the narratives to suit their interests, whether that meant furthering the plot of the original work or adapting certain narratives. In the case of Disney’s fairy-tale retellings, there have been a variety of derivative works created from written stories to videos that take on different narratives that reflect on current society. The first example of this is the works of Todrick Hall (1985-), a creator widely known for his unique adaptations of Disney’s retellings into musical-style fan fiction videos. In many of his videos, there is LGBTQ+ inclusion, as seen by his inclusion of drag queens as characters in his adaptation of Disney’s Cinderella, “Cinderoncé,” or creating a male version of Cinderella in which both Cinderella and Prince Charming are men in “Cinderfella.” Another example is the various video adaptations of Disney’s Tangled, a retelling of The Grimm Brothers Rapunzel, created by individuals such as the Carnahan family and Micarah Tewers (1995-), during the COVID-19 pandemic. By taking certain narratives of the Rapunzel tale, they created video-style fan fiction retellings to equate Rapunzel’s experiences with being locked in a particular space for a long time and dealing with prolonged boredom and isolation to quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic. This period saw an increase in creative expressions, as individuals turned to different formats to share their retellings.
Various mediums are used every day to produce hundreds of fairy-tale retellings, and while they usually are adapted and credited to Disney’s versions, they mimic the actions of previous fairy-tale authors pre-Disney. The rapid intertwining of fairy tales with the mediums through which they undergo reimagining is connected to Bacchilega’s notion of the fairy-tale web. Bacchilega posits that the fairy-tale web resembles a complex spider web, intricately woven with diverse threads of storytelling.[36] Unlike a single spinner, the fairy-tale web relies on the collective efforts of storytellers, cultures, and creative expressions.[37] An example of this is the way fairy-tale writers selectively draw narratives from Disney’s retellings and transform them into varied versions that introduce diverse stories, characters, and plots across multiple mediums. In the twenty-first century, the metaphor of the fairy-tale web gained increased relevance due to the interwoven nature of storytelling facilitated by online platforms. Within communities of fans, a spectrum of voices is given the chance to play a role in shaping the progression of the fairy-tale tradition through their derivative works.[38] This inclusive environment enables individuals from diverse backgrounds to partake in the retelling of fairy tales through their chosen mediums, thereby fostering the expansion of the fairy-tale web. A notable distinction between the adaptation of fairy tales before and after the Disney era lies in the transformation of the communal aspect. Unlike the communal engagement witnessed in the French salons during the eras of d’Aulnoy and Perrault, contemporary creators have found new ways to interact with each other’s works, such as offering suggestions and providing comments and reviews to enhance the collaborative process of storytelling.
Conclusion
As demonstrated by this review, early writers who adapted fairy tales, such as d’Aulnoy and Perrault, enjoyed considerable freedom due to the absence of copyright laws. In the twentieth century, Disney leveraged copyright laws to attempt a monopoly on fairy-tale retellings. However, the arrival of the internet and online platforms marked a transformative period for content creators, enabling the widespread dissemination of fairy-tale adaptations. The resurgence in creative freedom echoes an era predating Disney, where concerns related to copyright constraints were virtually absent. Similar to fairy-tale adaptations in the times of d’Aulnoy and Perrault, contemporary creatives draw inspiration from fairy tales, adapting them with different objectives and narrative styles through written stories, plays, art, music, and more. Although the internet has provided creatives with more freedom, certain restrictions still exist, hindering the extent to which one can produce an adaptation of Disney’s film version of a tale. Given Disney’s fame and the ongoing financial success derived from adapting popular fairy tales, it seems that these restrictions will persist.
Endnotes
[1] Anne Kustritz, “Fairy Tale, Fan Fiction, and Popular Media,” in The Fairy Tale World, ed. Anderson Teverson (London: Routlege, 2023), 286.
[2] Jack Zipes, “The Rise of the French Fairy Tale and the Decline of France,” in When Dreams Came True Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition (New York: Routledge, 2007), 33.
[3] Zipes, "The Rise of the French Fairy Tale," 30.
[4] Cristina Bacchilega, Fairy Tales Transformed? Twenty-First-Century Adaptations and the Politics of Wonder (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2013), 20.
[5] Anne Duggan, The Lost Princess: Women Writers and the History of Classic Fairy Tales (United Kingdom: Reaktion Books, 2023). 11.
[6] Julie L. Koehler, "Navigating the Patriarchy in Variants of ‘The Bee and the Orange Tree’ by German Women," Marvels & Tales Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies 35, no. 2 (2021): 253, https://doi.org/10.1353/mat.2021.0021
[7] Koehler, "Navigating the Patriarchy," 253.
[8] Koehler, "Navigating the Patriarchy," 255-257.
[9] Koehler, "Navigating the Patriarchy," 267.
[10] Lydie Jean, “Charles Perrault’s Paradox: How Aristocratic Fairy Tales Became Synonymous with Folklore Conservation,” Trames Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences 11, no. 3 (2007): 277.
[11] Jean, "Charles Perrault's Paradox," 277.
[12] Jack Zipes, “Breaking the Disney Spell,” in The Classic Fairy Tales: Texts, Criticism, ed. Maria Tartar (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1999), 87.
[13] Kustritz, "Fairy Tale," 286.
[14] Dina Arouri, “Copyrights and Creativity: The Affects of Copyrights on Fairy Tales,” (Honors Program Thesis, Rollins College, 2015), 52.
[15] Duggan, Lost Princess, 10.
[16] Duggan, Lost Princess, 26.
[17] Duggan, Lost Princess, 30.
[18] Irene Doster, “The Disney Dilemma: Modernized Fairy Tales or Modern Disaster?” (Chancellor’s Honors Program, University of Tennessee, 2002), 1.
[19] Zipes, "Breaking the Disney Spell," 76.
[20] Arouri, "Copyrights and Creativity," 4.
[21] Arouri, "Copyrights and Creativity," 4.
[22] Will Kenton, “Copyright Definition, Types, and How It Works.” Investopedia, last modified August 11, 2024. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/copyright.asp#:~:text=Copyright%20refers%20to%20the%20legal,right%20to%20reproduce%20the%20work.
[23] Donald Haase, "Yours, Mine, or Ours? Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and the Ownership of Fairy Tales," Merveilles & Contes 7, no. 2 (1993): 394.
[24] Haase, "Yours, Mine, or Ours?" 394.
[25] Arouri, "Copyrights and Creativity," 52.
[26] Arouri, "Copyrights and Creativity," 52.
[27] Zipes, "Breaking the Disney Spell," 78.
[28] Haase, "Yours, Mine, or Ours?" 384.
[29] Doster, "Disney Dilemma," 2.
[30] Doster, "Disney Dilemma," 24.
[31] Zipes, "Breaking the Disney Spell," 93.
[32] Zipes, "Breaking the Disney Spell," 90-91.
[33] Larissa Gordon, "Fair Use and Fanfiction (3 of 4)," Library News, last modified October 23, 2023, https://library.jefferson.edu/librarynews/index.php/2022/02/23/fair-use-and-fanfiction-3-of-4/.
[34] Kenton, "Copyright Definition."
[35] Rebecca Black, "Online Fan Fiction and Critical Media Literacy," Journal of Computing in Teacher Education 26 (2009): 75, https://doi.org/10.1080/10402454.2009.1078463.
[36] Bacchilega, Fairy Tales Transformed? 19.
[37] Bacchilega, Fairy Tales Transformed? 19.
[38] Bacchilega, Fairy Tales Transformed? 20.
Maram AlTurky
Maram AlTurky is a graduate student at Wayne State University, pursuing a degree in Communication Studies. AlTurky is passionate about writing and research, and aims to continue her journey toward becoming a scholar by exploring topics that truly inspire her. In her senior year, she had the opportunity to participate in Wayne State’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, where she explored how the freedom of writing has changed over the centuries through the lens of fairy tales. That experience taught AlTurky so much about what it takes to write a research article, and the entire process was so rewarding that it motivated her to continue her academic path into a master’s program and, one day, a PhD. AlTurky’s goal is to keep learning, growing, and contributing through the work she loves.