Like the border town I grew up in, I have been shaped by a melting pot of ideas, cultures, and philosophies. My uniqueness is derived from my artistic drive and skill, which allows me to express my point of view and to continually evolve as a person borne out of the El Paso border culture. As far back as I can remember, I have always been influenced by music and have always had an engrained sense of rhythm. Because music was always part of me, I taught myself to play the guitar, drums, and tambourines through hours and hours of practice as a kid. Since then, I’ve worked with recording software and developed my lyric writing, and I even wrote and recorded a full length album at home with my firstborn daughter; she was not only my audience at the time, but also my critic. Art, along with music, has also been a lifelong love of mine. I became deeply absorbed in art when I was a sophomore in high school and continued honing my craft from there. My years of university level art classes have helped me grow as a painter, ceramist, sculptor, and graphic designer. I have a wide range of skills that allow me to express my uniqueness, creativity, and sense of identity through art made of various media. During high school, my art teacher saw my skill and the passion I had for creating art. This art teacher helped me to focus my mind and my time towards productive and creative endeavors by allowing me access to the art room and all its materials after school for as long as I wanted. My teacher didn’t know it at the time, but he paved the way for my future. I intend to give back to my community by starting an after-school art program for disadvantaged and at-risk youth of all ages. This program will engage the students in my community with creative and fulfilling projects that will keep them off the streets, teach them a wide range of artistic skills and also help them find their own sense of identity through art. With the permission of city leaders, I plan to have my group paint murals and create other artwork around the city to help beautify the community. This in turn will not only give young people a sense of pride in themselves but also a sense of pride in their neighborhoods. As a result of my program, I hope to have art lift spirits throughout the community, as it lifted mine when I was a young man. Growing up in a low-income, single-parent household in a border town has many disadvantages. It can cause frustration, depression, poverty, and may even lead some to a life of crime. Fortunately, it had the opposite effect on me; not only did it strengthen me and help me learn to persevere through life’s hardest challenges, but it also gave me perspective and drive. My experiences growing up in a border town along with my artistic drive have made me a unique influence in my community. I know the youth in my community face various hardships as they grow up, but I hope to be a positive influence and a guiding light to many through my art program.

Like the border town I grew up in, I have been shaped by a melting pot of ideas, cultures, and philosophies. My uniqueness is derived from my artistic drive and skill, which allows me to express my point of view and to continually evolve as a person borne out of the El Paso border culture. As far back as I can remember, I have always been influenced by music and have always had an engrained sense of rhythm. Because music was always part of me, I taught myself to play the guitar, drums, and tambourines through hours and hours of practice as a kid. Since then, I’ve worked with recording software and developed my lyric writing, and I even wrote and recorded a full-length album at home with my firstborn daughter; she was not only my audience at the time but also my critic. Art, along with music, has also been a lifelong love of mine. I became deeply absorbed in art when I was a sophomore in high school and continued honing my craft from there. My years of university-level art classes have helped me grow as a painter, ceramist, sculptor, and graphic designer. I have a wide range of skills that allow me to express my uniqueness, creativity, and sense of identity through art made of various media. During high school, my art teacher saw my skill and the passion I had for creating art. This art teacher helped me to focus my mind and my time towards productive and creative endeavors by allowing me access to the art room and all its materials after school for as long as I wanted. My teacher didn’t know it at the time, but he paved the way for my future. I intend to give back to my community by starting an after school art program for disadvantaged and at-risk youth of all ages. This program will engage the students in my community with creative and fulfilling projects that will keep them off the streets, teach them a wide range of artistic skills and also help them find their own sense of identity through art. With the permission of city leaders, I plan to have my group paint murals and create other artwork around the city to help beautify the community. This in turn will not only give young people a sense of pride in themselves but also a sense of pride in their neighborhoods. As a result of my program, I hope to have art lift spirits throughout the community, as it lifted mine when I was a young man. Growing up in a low-income, single-parent household in a border town has many disadvantages. It can cause frustration, depression, poverty, and may even lead some to a life of crime. Fortunately, it had the opposite effect on me; not only did it strengthen me and help me learn to persevere through life’s hardest challenges, but it also gave me perspective and drive. My experiences growing up in a border town along with my artistic drive have made me a unique influence in my community. I know the youth in my community face various hardships as they grow up, but I hope to be a positive influence and a guiding light to many through my art program.

The sun was setting in a dusty desert town in west Texas and off to grandma’s house we drove. She took care of me because my mother worked the graveyard shift to support me and my two older sisters. I didn’t like staying with my grandparents, “Please don’t go mom,” I cried as I clung to her leg, tears rolling down my cheeks. It’s not the best of memories, but looking back I realized it was for my own good. I grew up in the projects where welfare, gangs and drugs were prevalent. My mother was a single parent and she was trying her hardest to give us a decent life so we could all succeed. Coming from a low-income and single-parent household helped me persevere and strengthened me. They made me who I am now. Growing up poor does have its setbacks, but it helped motivate me because I wanted to have a car that could get me to school and “good” places that kept me out of trouble. In a single-parent household, it is difficult to even get something as simple as a ride. As a young man, I had a newspaper route and diligently saved my money. One does appreciate the value of a dollar if it is earned. I turned sixteen and started working at Subway and also got my driver’s license. I could now drive myself to school and other after-school programs as needed. Growing up in a single-parent and low-income household does have its drawbacks and could lead some to a life of crime or drugs. But it helped me focus and persevere. I am financially responsible and I plan to pay back my student loans by paying more than just the minimum monthly payment. While in school I only borrowed what I needed and relied on grants and scholarships. I am an Art Education major and I plan to work as a teacher to help forgive some of my loans. I know the minimum is five years, but I will be teaching art for far longer than that. I became interested in art when I was a sophomore in high school. My art teacher saw the passion I had and he let me spend as much time as I wanted in the art room after school. To give back to the community I plan to start an after-school art program to help keep at-risk youth out of trouble. We can ask city leaders if we can paint murals to beautify the community. This in turn would not only give the students a sense of pride in themselves but in their neighborhood as well. I hope this will lift their spirits as art did to mine when I was a young man.

Sculptures can last for hundreds of years, whether they are cast in bronze or carved out of stone and marble, they are for the most part a permanent cultural fixture. Street art, on the other hand, has a relatively short life span, but with the internet once temporary works can now be seen and enjoyed by millions. It has become one of the biggest counter-culture movements in history. Artists utilize stickers, stencils, and posters and then place them, albeit illegally, on public structures to make statements often satirical or political. It is difficult to name my favorite piece of art, as they usually don’t have titles and are given a pseudonym by the mass public via the internet or social media. One of the main reasons I became an artist was because I was often disappointed by politicians and the mass media. I wanted to make a difference, and it may seem naïve, but I truly believe that I can. The fuel for my creative passion arises from social injustices and political dissatisfaction. Art should make a statement and if possible motivate others to feel the same way. I am deeply moved and inspired by the dynamic human spirit, and not by the classical paintings of days past. There have been many street artists to catch the public’s eye in the last twenty years, but no other artist has been as profound as the pioneer, the infamous Banksy. The art terrorist’s stencils have appeared all over Britain, but it wasn’t until 2018 that he made the world news. One of his paintings sold at Sotheby’s auction in London for 1.4 million and it then proceeded to shred itself. Some viewed it as performance art as it had to be remotely controlled or triggered, but I think it was an insight into the permanence of art and life. “Nothing last forever” and with time money and influence will all become but dust in the wind. This is by far the most important piece of art that has sold within the last five years and it is easily my favorite. A close second is Shepard Fairey with his stencil of Barrack Obama. It is important because it put street art on the cover of Time magazine, a world-famous magazine read by millions. Art should be free and seen by as many people as possible. By taking art out of the museums and onto the streets it will reach far more people, especially now with the help of the internet. With time almost everything will change and art is no different. Art creates change in the face of adversity. I am reminded of the German Expressionist that were dubbed degenerate artists by Hitler.

The sun was setting in a dusty desert town in west Texas and off to grandma’s house we drove. She took care of me because my mother worked the graveyard shift to support me and my two older sisters. I didn’t like staying with my grandparents, “Please don’t go mom,” I cried as I clung to her leg, tears rolling down my cheeks. It’s not the best of memories, but looking back I realized it was for my own good. I grew up in the projects where welfare, gangs and drugs were prevalent. My mother was a single parent and she was trying her hardest to give us a decent life so we could all succeed. Coming from a low-income and single-parent household helped me persevere and strengthened me. They made me who I am now. Growing up poor does have its setbacks, but it helped motivate me because I wanted to have a car that could get me to school and “good” places that kept me out of trouble. In a single-parent household, it is difficult to even get something as simple as a ride. As a young man, I had a newspaper route and diligently saved my money. One does appreciate the value of a dollar if it is earned. I turned sixteen and started working at Subway and also got my driver’s license. I could now drive myself to school and other after-school programs as needed. I became interested in art when I was a sophomore in high school. My art teacher saw the passion I had and he let me spend as much time as I wanted in the art room after school. In order to give back to the community I plan to start an after-school art program to help keep at-risk youth out of trouble. We can ask city leaders if we can paint murals to beautify the community. This in turn would not only give the students a sense of pride in themselves but in their neighborhood as well. I hope this will lift their spirits as art did to mine when I was a young man. Growing up in a single-parent and low-income household does have its drawbacks and could lead some to a life of crime or drugs, but it did the opposite for me. Not only did it help me focus and persevere, it also gave me perspective and drive. I am thankful for everything that my mother did for me and I plan to pass on the valuable life skills to my children.

My golf journey begins over twenty years ago in El Paso, Texas. I grew up in a poor neighborhood part of the lower valley where drugs and gangs were an everyday occurrence. I started my golf journey to avoid the problems in my neighborhood. As a child I would go to Putt Putt Golf and Games every weekend. Most kids my age were content staying at home and playing hours of video games or just watching television. While I would beg my mother to please let me go play mini golf. When I got to High school I joined the High School Golf team. While most of my friends became popular football players, I was content spending every Saturday morning out on the green. Friday night lights draw most of the sports fans in Texas, but I was some of the few who were driven by the dusk of the sun out on the green. Now I am 41 years old and the father of two intelligent teenage girls. I continue my love of golf every weekend when I take them out to Ascarate Lake and Golf Course. When I played on the High School team we had our weekly games there, so it brings back memories of me as a young teenager. Needless to say, both my daughters truly enjoy golfing and I plan on continuing our weekly outings. They are quick learners and will soon be teaching me a thing or two. Golf is often mistaken as a sport for the well-off or wealthy, but it all depends on the individual and his drive to succeed. Growing up I never would have imagined myself as an avid golfer who has played for more than twenty years, but once I held the club in my hands I was instantly hooked. It doesn't take money but drive and commitment to become a good golfer. It is a sport for all, the poor and the rich. The sport of golf is important to me on so many levels. It helped me as a young man to stay out of trouble. It kept my grades up in High School. Now it provides me with quality time with my children. Not inky do I play golf but I would even say that the game of golf shaped and will continue to shape my life in positive ways that no other sport could have done. You can play by yourself or with a group. However you play it is meditative and inspiring.