When my mom was 26 weeks pregnant, doctors diagnosed me with Tetralogy of Fallot, a rare congenital heart defect. At five months old, I had open-heart surgery. The doctors told my parents I would experience developmental delays and physical challenges throughout my life. However, God always has the last word. From an early age, I was drawn to watching my older sisters perform on the high school dance team. They inspired me to follow in their footsteps, and by seventh grade, I became a member of the junior high dance team. While I was finding my place, in 2020, my parents were told I would need another heart surgery to replace my pulmonary valve. Preparing for surgery during a global pandemic was overwhelming. My family had to be extremely cautious. If I got sick, not only would my surgery be delayed, but I’d be battling a virus and a heart condition. On January 5, 2021, at age 12, I underwent surgery. While recovering at home, family and friends sent stuffed animals to keep me company. One was a giant pink flamingo named Flo from my uncle, which inspired him to write the song “How Flo Can You Go”. It soon grew into a series of stories and I started imagining the characters who lived in that world. One afternoon, staring at my frog bucket hat, inspiration struck, and I sketched my first original character: Froggie Girl. That drawing blossomed into a children’s book series based on Froggie Girl and her friends, which I have been illustrating since April 2021. My uncle has written over 30 chapters, and the stories are being prepared for publication. Throughout this process, I’ve developed a deep love for art, storytelling, and character design. At the same time, I was working to rebuild my stamina for dance. Returning after surgery meant starting from scratch. Throughout my eighth-grade year, I pushed myself to keep up with the other dancers. Every day, I stayed after practice to improve my form or learn new skills. This discipline was difficult, but I kept going. After those long days, I managed my time to focus on school, pushing myself to excel academically. That season of rebuilding and strengthening taught me what perseverance looks like, as a strong dancer and a determined student. Today, I serve as the Colonel of my high school dance team, a position that requires physical strength, mental endurance, and leadership. I’m also in the top 7% of my class and a proud member of the National Honor Society. As I grew stronger after my surgery, my creative voice became clearer. My inspiration for art is shaped by those experiences. My Colombian heritage grounds me in family and tradition. Living in Alberta, Canada during fourth grade opened my eyes to diverse cultures and ways of life. Traveling alone to San Francisco to collaborate with my uncle on the book illustrations allowed me to step into independence as an artist. Spending time on my family’s ranch taught me additional responsibilities through tending to cattle and appreciating nature. I look forward to letting these experiences, and those still to come, inspire my creativity as I bring my creative ideas to life through developing artistic and technical skills. Today, I use tools like Procreate, Photoshop, InDesign, and Animator to prepare for college-level Visualization classes. Touring Texas A&M’s College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, confirmed that this program aligns perfectly with my passion and career goals. I plan to earn my Bachelor of Science in Visualization at Texas A&M, where I can continue growing as an artist, storyteller and a leader.