“Your actions can change the world, even the littlest actions,” my mother often says. I had never thought much about the impact of her statement until I was immersed in a community effort that would evoke change. I live in the small town of LaGrange, Kentucky, where history is being preserved and cherished. Such older towns, though quaint and homey, can become stagnant. So in 2019, community leaders organized a committee to gather fresh ideas about creating interactive experiences for residents and visitors in our historic town. I was invited to my first charrette, a small brain-storming session, to discuss ways to revitalize LaGrange. Although (as the sole teenager in a room full of adults) I was hesitant initially to share my ideas, I quickly felt comfortable and excited for the opportunity to contribute to the big changes in our town. A year later, the first phase of Alley Loop was completed and appropriately named Inspiration Alley. Alley Loop, in its entirety, is a one-mile interactive walking path that will surround LaGrange’s central historic district while promoting a welcoming environment that reflects the town’s strong sense of community. During its planning stages, I attended financial and design meetings where I took part in creating Alley Loop’s human-centered experiential centers. I later expressed to the team that I wanted to personally contribute a form of art that visitors and residents could enjoy. They suggested I paint a mural on a 128-foot building! I was ecstatic and ready to take on the challenge of my first large, independent project, one that I knew would positively impact others. After 3 months of designing, I started painting the mural that I wanted to be visually pleasing with a deep, uplifting meaning that could resonate with the community. I gathered as many volunteers as I could to help paint the mural: friends, family, and strangers. The volunteers and I painted 115 stripes along the wall, all in color coordination that represent people’s seasons of life’s changes and the emotions they feel from impactful events. Between some of these colorful stripes are hand-painted quotes that evoke feelings of change, positivity, kindness, love, and growth. My goal is for readers and viewers to feel a sense of purpose in our community and especially in the world, and my hope is that my mural will also impact other communities and artists, inspiring them to create more public art pieces that impact people with positive messages. While working on my project, I have seen people approach, read the painted quotes, and walk away smiling, which warms my heart! I’m grateful for the opportunity to create something that brings a bit of happiness to others, a project that I hope will affect the community for many years to come. Looking back on this project, I’m not sure if my actions “changed the world,” but I’d like to think that they have definitely changed my little town.

“Your actions can change the world, even the littlest actions,” my mother often says. I had never thought much about the impact of her statement until I was immersed in a community effort that would evoke change. I live in the small town of LaGrange, Kentucky, where history is being preserved and cherished. Such older towns, though quaint and homey, can become stagnant. So in 2019, community leaders organized a committee to gather fresh ideas about creating interactive experiences for residents and visitors in our historic town. I was invited to my first charrette, a small brain-storming session, to discuss ways to revitalize LaGrange. Although (as the sole teenager in a room full of adults) I was hesitant initially to share my ideas, I quickly felt comfortable and excited for the opportunity to contribute to the big changes in our town. A year later, the first phase of Alley Loop was completed and appropriately named Inspiration Alley. Alley Loop, in its entirety, is a one-mile interactive walking path that will surround LaGrange’s central historic district while promoting a welcoming environment that reflects the town’s strong sense of community. During its planning stages, I attended financial and design meetings where I took part in creating Alley Loop’s human-centered experiential centers. I later expressed to the team that I wanted to personally contribute a form of art that visitors and residents could enjoy. They suggested I paint a mural on a 128-foot building! I was ecstatic and ready to take on the challenge of my first large, independent project, one that I knew would positively impact others. After 3 months of designing, I started painting the mural that I wanted to be visually pleasing with a deep, uplifting meaning that could resonate with the community. I gathered as many volunteers as I could to help paint the mural: friends, family, and strangers. The volunteers and I painted 115 stripes along the wall, all in color coordination that represent people’s seasons of life’s changes and the emotions they feel from impactful events. Between some of these colorful stripes are hand-painted quotes that evoke feelings of change, positivity, kindness, love, and growth. My goal is for readers and viewers to feel a sense of purpose in our community and especially in the world, and my hope is that my mural will also impact other communities and artists, inspiring them to create more public art pieces that impact people with positive messages. While working on my project, I have seen people approach, read the painted quotes, and walk away smiling, which warms my heart! I’m grateful for the opportunity to create something that brings a bit of happiness to others, a project that I hope will affect the community for many years to come. Looking back on this project, I’m not sure if my actions “changed the world,” but I’d like to think that they have definitely changed my little town.

“Your actions can change the world, even the littlest ones,” my mother often says. I had never thought much about the impact of her statement until I was immersed in a community effort that would evoke change. I live in the small town of LaGrange, Kentucky, where history is preserved and cherished. Such older towns can become stagnant. In 2019, various city and community leaders decided to organize a broader reach throughout our area to gather fresh ideas and collaborate with others to create interactive experiences for residents and visitors in our historic town. I was invited to my first charrette, a small brain-storming session, to discuss ways to revitalize LaGrange. As the sole teenager in a room full of adults, I was hesitant initially to share my ideas. However, throughout several meetings, I began feeling more comfortable and excited about the opportunity to become a part of big changes within my town. A year later, with a plan in place, the first phase of Alley Loop was created and in October 2022 it was completed. I was honored to be a part of the first phase named “Inspiration Alley.” Alley Loop, in its entirety, will become a one-mile interactive walking path surrounding LaGrange’s central historic district. Alley Loop promotes a welcoming, positive environment that reflects the town’s strong sense of community. During its planning stages, I attended financial and design meetings where I took part in creating Alley Loop’s human-centered experiential centers. I later expressed to the team that I wanted to personally contribute a form of art that visitors and residents could enjoy. They suggested I paint a mural on a 128-foot building! I was ecstatic and ready to take on the challenge of my first large, independent project, one that I knew would positively impact others. I began planning the mural in April of 2022 and started painting in July of 2022. I wanted this mural to be visually pleasing with a deep, uplifting meaning that could resonate with the community. I gathered as many volunteers as I could find to help paint the mural: friends, family, and strangers. The volunteers and I painted 115 stripes along the wall – all in color coordination that represent the seasons of change within a human and the change of emotions people feel from events that may have impacted them greatly. Within a few of these colorful stripes are quotes that evoke feelings of change, positivity, kindness, love, and growth. My goal is for the readers to feel a sense of purpose in our community and especially in the world. I hope that my mural will also impact other communities and artists, inspiring them to create more public art pieces that impact people with positive messages. While working on my project, I have seen people approach, read the painted quotes, and walk away smiling – which warms my heart! I’m grateful for the opportunity to create something that brings a bit of happiness to others, a project that I hope will affect the community for many years to come. While in college studying entrepreneurship and city design, I plan to create meaningful environments that can evoke happiness and peace within communities – on the college campus while I am there – and then in the community where I will reside. Ultimately, I’d like to inspire others to create spaces like Alley Loop, spaces that generate a sense of unity and belonging to all. Looking back on this project, I’m not sure if my actions changed the world, but I’d like to think that they definitely changed my little town.