I’ve always been drawn to design because it lets me take imagination and turn it into something real. It’s more than just how something looks. Design is about intention, emotion, and storytelling. I’m passionate about creating things that feel thoughtful and expressive. Pieces that carry meaning and personality. What excites me the most is using design to tell stories that feel soft, playful, or otherworldly, while still being grounded in culture and community. Footwear design is where I feel the most energy. I love the balance of functionality and fantasy. A shoe can be wearable art. It can reflect a mood, a movement, or a memory. My favorite projects are the ones that allow me to experiment and build something that feels emotionally charged but still marketable. I’m really into the details. The color palette, textures, and materials. I want my designs to say something without needing to explain too much. If someone looks at a shoe and immediately feels a vibe or emotion, that’s a success to me. Design also feels powerful because of how collaborative it can be. I like working across mediums and with people from different creative backgrounds. Whether it’s collaborating with stylists, photographers, 3D artists, or even nail techs, those are the types of projects that really inspire me. When everyone brings something different to the table and it still comes together in one cohesive vision, that’s the kind of creative energy I want to keep being part of. As for tools, digital design has completely opened up what’s possible for me. I use Gravity Sketch for 3D concepting and rendering, especially for my sneaker designs. It allows me to visualize ideas in real space and test forms and silhouettes without being limited by traditional sketching alone. I also use programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Procreate to explore surface design, textile ideas, and character development. I love blending analog and digital workflows; starting with a hand-drawn sketch and finishing it with polish in a program that helps me push the details even further. One of the things I’m most excited about is continuing to learn new tools and programs that can elevate my design work. I want to explore more motion graphics and immersive formats in the future. I think design is moving more into world-building, not just product-making. I want to be a part of that; not just designing objects, but building full experiences. Design gives me a language that feels natural. It’s how I connect with people, how I express my identity, and how I hope to leave a mark. I want to keep creating things that feel both imaginative and intentional, while using digital tools to bring those visions to life in new and exciting ways.

My name is Adrienne Archuleta, but most people just call me Adri. I’m a multidisciplinary artist currently in my senior year at SCAD Atlanta, majoring in Illustration with a minor in Sneaker Design. My work lives at the intersection of storytelling, fashion, and identity. I’m especially drawn to themes of femininity, nostalgia, and escapism. I love creating art that feels playful and dreamy, while still being grounded in intention and meaning. Growing up mixed, I’ve always seen the world in pieces. I learned how to observe, how to blend in, and how to adapt. But art became the space where I didn’t have to shrink myself or fit into anything. It let me be soft, loud, weird, or complex, all in one place. Art gave me freedom before I even fully understood what that meant. I didn’t always think I could turn it into a career. I almost chose a more “practical” path, like medicine, but during the pandemic everything changed. I had nothing but time and uncertainty, and I found myself returning to art as a way to cope and reconnect with myself. I started sharing my work at pop-ups and events, and suddenly I wasn’t just making things for fun anymore. I was building a body of work. I was connecting with people. That’s when I knew I wanted to keep going. At SCAD, I’ve tried to push myself to take up space, even when I felt unsure. I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA, but more than that, I’ve worked to build community. One of the things I’m most proud of is founding the SCAD Atlanta Sneaker Club. I saw that the Sneaker Design minor wasn’t getting the attention it deserved, and I wanted to change that. I started the club to bring visibility, education, and fun into the space. It’s now grown into a supportive community where students collaborate, experiment, and connect with industry professionals. We’ve hosted design workshops, brand partnerships, and even helped bring more women and BIPOC voices into the conversation around sneaker culture. My goal is to continue building spaces like that; where art and community work together. I plan to grow my brand, Adri Atelier, into more than just a product line. I see it as a platform for bold and expressive design, mentorship, and storytelling. I want to create shoes and clothing that feel magical but also wearable. I want my work to reflect emotion, softness, confidence, and creativity. Whether it’s through hand-painted sneaker concepts, custom nail art, or character design, I want people to feel something when they see my work. I want them to feel seen. I’m also very aware of the privilege it is to be an artist. Not everyone gets to spend their life creating. That’s why I don’t take any of this for granted. I’m actively looking for ways to use my art to uplift others. Whether it’s through education, workshops, or even just honest conversations about the creative process, I hope to share what I’ve learned and help others find their voice too. What inspires me the most is the possibility that my work can make someone’s day feel a little more imaginative, a little more joyful, or a little more like themselves. That’s the kind of impact I hope to make; not necessarily loud or flashy, but meaningful and lasting. Portfolio Links: Illustration: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGb1O_mLus/dur8puRvT-6j8Oz0kKc8gg/edit Sneaker Design: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGYf3Jj-Z0/CYtvxd7xpu2sTYT6sp51eQ/edit

Art has always been the thing that grounded me. Growing up, it was how I made sense of everything, the world, my identity, my emotions. I’ve always loved storytelling, but I didn’t always have the words to say what I was feeling. Drawing, designing, painting, making things with my hands, all of it helped me express myself in ways that felt honest and freeing. I didn’t come from a traditional art background, and for a while, I thought I had to follow a more “secure” path. But the more I tried to push art to the side, the more it kept finding its way back to me. During the pandemic, when school and life felt uncertain, I turned to my sketchbooks and started creating again just to feel something. That was the moment I realized I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I’m inspired by a lot of things, but I always come back to a few core themes: femininity, playfulness, and escapism. I love imagining alternate realities, whether that’s through a whimsical shoe design or a dreamy, surreal landscape. My work tends to live in that space between fantasy and function. I’m drawn to textures, colors, and silhouettes that feel soft but bold, like something you’d see in a dream and want to carry with you into the real world. Sneaker design has become one of my favorite ways to blend storytelling with wearable art. I love taking unexpected elements and turning them into something expressive and detailed. My collection “Petal Pusher” is a good example of that. I reimagined the Nike Air Max Plus through the lens of femininity and nature, using soft pastel tones, layered materials, and surreal floral structures to tell a story about beauty, pressure, and strength. With my skills in illustration, I feel that I am able to successfully communicate my ideas, and stories. What inspires me the most, though, is the idea that art can build connection. I’ve seen how powerful it is when someone feels represented in a piece, or when a design sparks a new idea in someone else. That’s why I started SCAD Atlanta’s Sneaker Club, I wanted to build a space where students could connect over creativity, explore design in new ways, and feel like they belong. Pursuing art is how I remind myself and others that the world can be soft, strange, emotional, and beautiful, all at once. It’s how I hope to make an impact and leave behind something meaningful.

I want my art to remind people that there’s beauty in playfulness, softness, and identity, especially in places where those things are often overlooked. Through illustration, footwear, and fashion design, I’m building a visual language that’s bold, feminine, and expressive. My work pulls from my personal experience as a mixed-race woman navigating creative spaces that are still largely dominated by narrow definitions of success and beauty. I’ve always believed that art is more than just aesthetics. It can be a tool for storytelling, healing, and community building. That’s why I started the SCAD Sneaker Club, to create a space where students from different backgrounds could connect, share ideas, and build something meaningful together. Through workshops, panels, and brand partnerships, we’ve helped more students see themselves in design careers and feel more confident in their creative voice. In the future, I want to grow my brand, Adri Atelier, into a platform that not only creates beautiful and imaginative footwear, but also offers resources, mentorship, and representation for young creatives, especially women and people of color. I want to collaborate with communities, work with sustainable materials, and challenge outdated norms about who fashion is for and what it can look like. I’m not just making things to be seen. I’m making things to be felt. If even one person looks at something I’ve created and feels more confident, more inspired, or more understood, then I’ve already made an impact. And I plan to keep doing that, one piece at a time.

Being part of a community has shown me that growth doesn't have to be isolating. Before starting the Sneaker Club at SCAD Atlanta, I was passionate about footwear design but didn’t see many people around me who were exploring the same path. The Sneaker Design minor was still new, and it felt like one of SCAD’s best-kept secrets. I didn’t want students to miss out on something that had so much potential. So I decided to build something myself. At first, I wasn’t sure if people would show up. I had no roadmap, just a lot of ideas and a deep love for sneakers and creative storytelling. I started organizing meetings, creating flyers, and reaching out to other students and faculty. Over time, what started with just a few people in a room grew into a real community of artists, designers, and creators from all kinds of backgrounds. We weren’t just talking about shoes. We were bonding over personal stories, inspirations, culture, and how design connects to identity. One of the first events we hosted was a sneaker customization workshop. I brought in local artists, and we set up paints, supplies, and sample shoes for people to work on. A lot of students came in feeling unsure, saying they weren’t designers or didn’t know how to paint. But by the end, they were smiling, showing off their work, and helping each other through the process. That day showed me what community really looks like. It’s not about being perfect or having all the answers. It’s about showing up, sharing what you know, and creating space for people to learn and grow together. That experience taught me how connection builds confidence. When people feel seen, they’re more willing to take risks and push their ideas forward. Being part of this community made me realize that the creative industry doesn’t have to be gatekept. There’s so much room for collaboration, for uplifting each other, and for making space for voices that haven’t always been heard. It also gave me hope for my own future. I’ve faced a lot of financial uncertainty and moments of doubt, but being surrounded by people who care and believe in the same vision makes a huge difference. I no longer feel like I have to do everything alone. I want to keep building spaces like this through my personal brand and future design work. I want to keep making room for young creatives who deserve to be heard and seen. Being part of this club has shown me that resilience doesn’t always look like pushing through in silence. Sometimes it’s building something soft, collaborative, and meaningful. And that’s the kind of future I want to be part of.

One of my greatest achievements to date has been founding and leading the SCAD Atlanta Sneaker Club; a community I built from the ground up to bring visibility, opportunity, and creative exploration to an often overlooked space in art education. As a Sneaker Design minor at SCAD, I realized how underrepresented the program was despite its massive cultural relevance. I knew there were students like me, students who didn’t always see themselves reflected in traditional design spaces, but who had bold ideas and wanted to make a mark. So I created a space for us. Starting the club wasn’t just about organizing meetings; it meant pitching ideas to faculty, coordinating brand collaborations, hosting events, and encouraging students from all backgrounds to see sneaker design as a valid form of artistic expression. We’ve since held hands-on workshops, partnered with sneaker retailers and stylists, and even caught the attention of professionals from Jordan Brand and Soleplay ATL. For many students, this was their first exposure to the design industry outside the classroom. Leading this club taught me that I’m more than an artist, I’m a connector, a cultural builder, and someone who can turn a vision into reality. It pushed me to be resourceful, resilient, and confident in rooms where I used to feel intimidated. As a mixed-race woman in a male-dominated field, I’ve often felt the pressure to prove myself. But building this community helped me realize that I don’t have to change who I am to belong, I can create a space where I already do. This experience also taught me the power of storytelling, not just through my illustrations or sneaker renderings, but through how I represent myself and my community. Whether it’s painting, product design, or visual direction, I want everything I create to tell a story, evoke emotion, and connect people to something deeper than a trend. Looking forward, I hope to grow my personal brand, Adri Atelier, into a full lifestyle label that merges femininity, futurism, and playfulness. My dream is to design footwear and fashion that feels imaginative and expressive, art you can wear, while opening doors for more women and people of color in the design world. I also hope to use my platform to teach and mentor younger creatives the way others have done for me. But right now, as I approach my senior year, my most immediate goal is to finish my degree without being forced to take on crippling debt. I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA, built lasting relationships with industry professionals, and poured everything I have into my education. Receiving scholarship support would not only allow me to continue this journey — it would be a direct investment in everything I hope to give back to the world through my work.

As an artist, I feel have made my best efforts to become involved with my community. I had the amazing experience of being a student vendor at a few community events. Such as a student led fashion show, and an outdoor market in which I was able to sell a painting to Atlanta’s former mayor Kasim Reed. Currently I am working with an artist, assisting her with a mural in Atlanta. I enjoy and appreciate these opportunities as this is the best way to leave my mark on the world. With something that I, myself have created. I feel like art helps society explore themselves on a deeper level. I plan on continuing to contribute my efforts to spread aesthetic value into my city. I believe art has brought me closer with those in my community, and has led me to gather a better understanding of the people and world around me. As well as sharing my current art with my community, I would like to apply my personal perspective of the beauty of life and spirit by creating works of art that can be touched by millions of people. I hope to help others and be a voice for those who cannot quite put their reality into words. I would like to build a career off of the monetization of my skills such as selling works of art, creating murals, doing community art classes, and so much more. I truly love to be connected with those around me and I would love to bring my personal aesthetic value into the world.

I am in love with my resilience. I feel that we go through many ups and downs in our lifetime, and within my 17 years of living I’ve had my fair share. Having resilience allows me to face adversities in many different ways. I call it my “bounce back”. I believe that because of my resilience, whenever I fall, I can always get back up. During the second semester of my sophomore year, Covid-19 hit, and drastically affected me, and many others. Initially I was excited not having to attend school in person, but as an only child with a single parent things got very lonely, very soon. Reflecting upon the summer of 2020, a lot was going on. I remember the murder of George Floyd bringing heartache and frustration to myself and so many others around me. I remember hyper focusing on my Instagram and Tiktok feed, seeing, recognizing and remembering all of the black people who were victims of death by the police. It was so disheartening to constantly view that influx of crime against humanity. That year, all I remember was being sad, and feeling stuck within the confinement of my room. It was during 2020, when I had been clinically diagnosed with depression and anxiety. During 2020 - 2021, the biggest thing I had to face was myself. I had to get back up on my feet, and so I did. I started meditating, going to therapy, and raising my grades. I started to recognize the beauty within the pain I have experienced and I started appreciating my worth. I believe resilience is the best quality anyone should have. Obstacles are the cost of our existence, and we have to jump through them beautifully and gracefully.

“Ashe”, a word in which originated from the people of the Yoruba culture in Africa, gives reference to the creative power that has been given to us as beings as well as our ability to make things happen and change. As I started this piece, I had no plan at all, with my intentions set on just creating something that I knew I wanted to share. The words “Asé so it is” played in my head like a mantra. letting my spirit move me, and making the effort to do something I haven’t done before, I decided to pour contrasting colors on the canvas and to then scrape it off, as well as mixing my acrylic paint with baby powder so that I could make it textured. I like to really feel what I create, and I really enjoy the intimacy of it all. I wanted to embody that. I believe this piece shows the turbulence and also the vibrant creativity that I, and a lot of us possess as artists. As an artist, I feel have made my best efforts to become involved with my community. I had the amazing experience of being a student vendor at a few community events. Such as a student led fashion show, and an outdoor market in which I was able to sell a painting to Atlanta’s former mayor Kasim Reed. Currently I am working with an artist, assisting her with a mural in Atlanta. I enjoy and appreciate these opportunities as this is the best way to leave my mark on the world. With something that I, myself have created. I feel like art helps society explore themselves on a deeper level. I plan on continuing to contribute my efforts to spread aesthetic value into my city. I believe art has brought me closer with those in my community, and has led me to gather a better understanding of the people and world around me. While getting acclimated to the art scene in my city and making sure I was in an art class each academic school year, I had set my heart on attending Savannah College of Art and Design. I would frequently visit the Atlanta campus as well as the High Museum of Art. Visiting SCAD showed me that there was a place where I could do what I love all day, as well as improving upon my skills in a space with other artists alike! I have applied to Savannah College of Art and Design and I have been accepted! My whole life I have been aware of student debt. Coming from a single parent household, with a hardworking mother who has attended college, I have always been aware of college debt, and student loans. My mother graduated from college during 1995, and is still paying off student loans to this day. Post Secondary education has always been associated with the words “debt” and “money” in my head. As I have been accepted into college myself, I had to run the numbers of how much it would cost me to get through the 4 years of education, I realized that it is the same amount as paying off a house. I got scared and a little discouraged, but still I am willing to do anything to pursue the education and career of my dreams. This scholarship will help relieve me of financial debts while attending school. I hold appreciation towards all art forms around me. I plan on exploring and improving my talents and abilities so that I can share them with the world, and truly make an impact.

During the second semester of my sophomore year, Covid-19 hit, and drastically affected me, and many others. Initially I was excited not having to attend school in person, but as an only child with a single parent things got very lonely, very soon. When preparing myself for this essay, and reflecting upon the damaging experiences I have gone through, I decided to complete some research to give all of this some structure and meaning. During the year of 2020, I began to enter a sunken place. “Researchers found that 46% of 977 parents of teens said their child has shown signs of a new or worsening mental health condition since the start of the pandemic. More parents of teen girls than parents of teen boys reported an increase in anxiety/worry (36% vs. 19%) or depression/sadness (31% vs. 18%”)” (Preidt). I am among those who have fallen in these statistics. I started having issues at home in regards to my mental health, and ended up in a Psychiatric hospital. I was there for approximately two weeks. I did not have any access to a computer or phone, therefore I was unable to attend the zoom sessions for school. The wrong medication was initially prescribed and I suffered negative side effects. Upon release from the hospital, I came back home to what felt like hundreds of missing assignments. I was overwhelmed and honestly gave up. The academic counselor removed me from AP literature, and I flat out failed the rest of my classes into the new year. According to a poll taken on the Washington Post “ About half of teens age 14 to 18 said the pandemic had a negative impact on their academics. A third said it had no impact, and about 1 in 6 said it had a positive impact. Teens in urban communities were more likely than those in rural communities to say the impact was negative.” (Balingit). While in the mental health facility, I noticed that the environmental conditions were not well suited for people to get better. I remember sitting in the living hall, and the whole room had an atmosphere of depression. We didn’t get much one-on-one attention, and we all were pushed around. At one point I thought “Well if we’re in here to get better, how come no one is really helping us?”. I often would be other patients therapist, well knowing I had my own issues, I found solace in giving advice and being an ear to listen. My experience with my own mental health has helped me learn how to help others. Through my experiences, I have realized the importance of having resilience, and empathy. I have also realized the importance of not being afraid to share my experiences as they can help others, and to be proud of them, as they make me who I am to this day. A lot of us go through the same issues and we don’t even realize it. I had always thought of myself as a strong person, but going through this life changing experience has led me to understanding that life is full of ups and downs, and people get triggered in many different ways. Nothing is wrong with anybody and we are all beautiful because we share one common trait. Our differences!

Once my mom had called me a “Renaissance Woman”. A “Renaissance Woman” is a term often used to describe a person with many talents and abilities, I believe the title suits me well. Ever since I have been a little girl, I would always be participating in some extracurricular activity wether it be ballet, flute, piano, cheerleading, art, reading and many more activities. Throughout my life time, I have always made sure to have time for fun activities that I really enjoy doing. I feel like having hobbies and extra talents is very important when making efforts to be a well rounded person. My favorite hobby of all time would be doing anything creative. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved doing art. I remember drawing on walls and on myself, putting stickers on the floor to drive my parents mad. In the living room of my house sits a painting that I created in the 1st grade. I have turned my room into an art gallery. Every time I complete a painting, I put a thumbtack in my wall, and hang it up. As well as painting, I experiment with many art mediums. During quarantine I had gotten an IPad and Apple Pencil and was able to create digital art. I got to experiment with the new technology and create an escape for myself when everyone was forced to stay home. During the fall of 2021, I discovered a new medium that I am surprisingly good at as well, clay. Doing ceramics was so much fun to me, as I could let my own concepts and ideas become 3-Dimensional objects! Art is my peace of mind, and it makes me so proud. As well as having a calm, and more stationery hobby, physical activity is really important as well. During the year of 2020, I had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, and General Anxiety Disorder. I had been doing some research on how to relieve some of the depression symptoms, when I had remembered that in 7th grade, I learned in health class that physical activity releases endorphins. Coming upon that realization, I started to take up the hobby of roller skating. I live in Atlanta, and going to the skating rink is like going to a crazy advanced dance party. I’ve always loved the way the older people could dance and do tricks on wheels. During the summer of 2020, I bought myself a pair of roller skates and I now make it a point to go roller skating at least once a week. When I roller skate I feel like i’m flying. I love how hobbies can make you feel free.

My name is Adrienne Archuleta, I am a senior in high school and have been accepted into my dream school, Savannah College of Art and Design. I am passionate about having empathy and appreciation for others as we affect everyone around us. I have always dreamed of pursuing something that I truly love and comes naturally to me. At SCAD, I plan on exploring my talents and creative abilities and sharing them with the world. I have an immense appreciation for the aesthetic value that can be found in many aspects of life, and I hope to study more about the ways art has impacted history and society, as well as creating pieces that will be compelling to society. I want to bring my own vision, and form of expression into the world, so that I can hopefully become inspiration to others. Coming from a single parent household, with a hardworking mother who has attended college, I have always been aware of college debt, and student loans. My mother graduated from college during 1995, and is still paying off student loans to this day. Post Secondary education has always been associated with the words “debt” and “money” in my head. As I have been accepted into college myself, I had to run the numbers of how much it would cost me to get through the 4 years of education, I realized that it is the same amount as paying off a house. I got scared and a little discouraged, but still I am willing to do anything to pursue the education and career of my dreams. To avoid college debt I plan on applying for as many scholarships and grants as my energy will allow. As well as applying for scholarships, I happen to own my own nail business, and I have a steady clientele. During college I will be continuing my business and preforming services on clients, as well looking for ways to generate passive income with my art. In this day in age there is a lot of new technology that is extremely useful to artists and creatives. Recently I have been researching NFT’s. A NFT is a Non Fungible Token which is a one of a kind, digital asset that people buy and sell like stock. The most common forms of NFT’s are digital art pieces, and luckily I am an artist. I plan on creating a crypto wallet, and uploading my art, turning it into a NFT. This scholarship will allow me a little relief for the upcoming school year. Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity.

Hello! My name is Adrienne Archuleta. I am 17 years old and currently a senior at Druid Hills High School in Atlanta,Ga. I remember being in 8th grade on Apple Music, when I had first discovered the song “Pretty Girl” by Clairo. Immediately after I first heard the song, I went on YouTube and found the adorable music video that seemed to be recorded from a MacBook laptop. I remember being in my room dancing around with the song on full volume singing all of the lyrics. For some reason that song had really resonated with my 8th grade self, and had led me to understanding more about my identity through music. When I had first heard the song, I was also first starting to discover my own music taste, and I found that I loved artists like Clairo, Frank Ocean, and Steve Lacey. Now being a senior in high school, I can truly say that music has impacted almost every aspect of my life. From my identity to my aesthetic values and art, music has always played a part. There have countless ups and downs throughout my lifetime, but that is the way life goes. Constantly I would find myself in emotional duress over things I truly had no control over, and things in the past that will never change. Going through these obstacles in my life, one of them being clinically diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression, music has been there to help me contextualize my feelings and thoughts, as well as to soothe me. As well as finding understanding about myself through music, I have also explored my thoughts, feelings, and emotions through my art. Visualizing and meditating before I start an art piece as helped me keep peace of mind. Constantly looking for the beauty out of any situation is completely possible if you look close enough. I feel like all art can truly be a form of therapy. It has been mine. Finding strength in overcoming obstacles takes the understanding that life is completely full of them. Once I was able to find acceptance in that concept, I have been able to get up every time I have fallen down. I constantly want to grow and learn and be better, and I want society to do that as well. That can only be done if we all give time, attention, and love to ourselves first. I have been accepted into SCAD Atlanta and I am fully committed to pursuing an education in my own passion, fine arts. For all my life I have admired and honored those who take up their creative passions as their careers, and I am so grateful that I have the wonderful opportunity to do so. This scholarship will aid me in achieving my dreams without having to worry about financial debt while attending school. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity.