Watercolor was one of the first mediums I taught myself to learn and understand. I enjoy its forgiving nature and relationship with water. Its easy to fix mistakes, blend and layer colors, and it produces the most beautiful washy texture. I often feel I naturally understand its essence. Watercolor is not commonly popular in the art world or at least in artworks that sale. I wish to change that. I want watercolor to be the medium that will help me make a name for myself and I want to put it at the top of the pedestal. Before I dipped my hands in anything art-related, I aspired to be a neurologist in hopes of making a better life for people with Multiple Sclerosis, like my mother. This dream of mine faded away when I invested in teaching myself to paint as a way to help with stress and depression. I believe it was fate for this to happen, because sooner or later I was scraping together an amateur portfolio to audition for an art high school in my city. 7 years later I'm a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) undergraduate at the University of Nevada, Reno working hard towards becoming a professional artist. Now this is a career most notably discouraged, because the salary is inconsistent, and making a stake for yourself in the art world is competitive. However, I've come too far, worked endlessly to get to where I am now, and I firmly believe this is my destined path. I will not stray from it. Below are two of my current favorite artworks I have created. The first submitted artwork is titled, "Blue Swimmer," in honor of the endangered crab nicknamed "Blue Swimmer." My work deals with the identity of faceless female figures in relationship to nature. For this artwork, I wanted the stunning anatomy of the crab to be the main focus. It poses directly in the center of the composition like a deity of some sort, surrounded by various corals, alive and dead, and by two human subjects. I was inspired by the tropical colors of the sea and the intricate anatomy of marine animals. The second piece of artwork was inspired by my Korean heritage. It is the third piece in a trilogy. As a mixed person, I have always been disconnected and felt unloved by my Korean heritage. I wanted to make a trilogy of paintings representing personal transformation of identity. In this third piece, a figure of myself stands in content with a Daenggi, a traditional Korean ribbon, wrapped at the ends of my hair. To my right shoulder is a moth adorned in Korean colors and patterns. It has just hatched from its cocoon, a symbol of my transformation of learning to love myself for who I am. These artworks are testaments of my love and dedication for watercolor.

Why are the arts important to you? I'm often asked this question and I never need a moment to put together an answer. The arts are important to me, because they are my purpose in life, and quite literally stopped me from leaving this world. Before I started teaching myself how to draw, I was inspired by my mother's Multiple Sclerosis to become a doctor, and to help others. However, I didn't excel in certain areas to become a doctor. I felt hopeless and defeated. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself or what I wanted to do as a career, until I came across a few artists on Instagram. I was in awe by the creativity and skill of those artists. When I started drawing, it was like adrenaline for me. I loved that I was capable of creating something beautiful with my own two hands. Colors, composition, art history, human anatomy, light and shadow, I obsessed with all of it. I didn't have the to take art classes, so It was up to me to learn. I consistently watched videos on you-tube, checked out books from the library, stayed up late at night drawing, studied the old masters, and drew in sketchbook during lunch or whenever I went out with family. My art was something I could be proud of and something my parents could as well. It only took me a couple of months to make the decision to audition for the Las Vegas Academy of Arts high school. When I was accepted, that is when I really started to take art seriously. I had friends and teachers who believed in me, supported me, and I had a few opportunities to push forward with my art. However, during my second year I was drowning from the assignments and pressured by high exceptions to have straight A's. I had little time to make art as I was staying up till midnight every night doing homework from my other classes and this made me depressed. Unfortunately, I attempted to take my life, and was checked into a hospital. Again, I felt hopeless, a burden, and useless. Thankfully, I have an amazing mother who cares for me deeply, and together we made the decision to leave the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. With time, therapy, and support from family my mental health improved. I graduated from Legacy High School as a junior at 16 years old. Trying to leave this world didn't take my spirit and love for the arts away from me. I was given another chance to try again and I didn't think of pursing anything else but the arts. I started taking classes at the College of Southern Nevada the same following year. My work was displayed in two exhibitions. I am now 18 years old and I want to get my Bachelors of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno. It was a struggle to even pay for the cheaper classes at the community college. If I am given the opportunity to win this scholarship, I'll be able to take another step towards achieving my dream. I'll afford tuition, housing, and fees. It will lift weight off my shoulders and allow me to focus on my art, as well as passing my classes. If you are interested in seeing my art, please email me with the email below. alcornbear930@gmail.com

"One Moment Please" - "Her Bare Back" Below are two of my artworks that I hold dear to my heart, because the meaning behind them is specifically why I want to continue to make art. "One Moment Please" is a portrait of myself drawn in graphite. For the longest time, I taught myself how to draw with only graphite. I believed I needed to master light and shadow before I attempted to learn any other material. In the drawing, I've depicted myself facing the audience with my eyes looking down, my collarbones prominent, and my hair with little to no texture. Before I took this picture, I tried to face the camera in a way where my deviated septum looked straight; however, in doing so it showed the asymmetrical alignment of my eyebrows, as well as my eyes. I was dispirited. I didn't want to show the ugly side of me to people, as this piece was going to be displayed in a student exhibition. But for some reason, I thought of my grandma, and remembered how my family compares my face to hers all the time. I believe my beloved grandma in heaven was telling me to go through with the drawing. She was my inspiration in facing my fears and accepting my flaws. "Her Bare Back" is a figurative painting of myself. As I face in the opposite direction of the viewer, my shiny hair is portrayed flowing down on my left shoulder, my right ear is protruding as a pearl earring hangs, and my bare back is for all to see. The subject's hair was painted first using black ink and a thin brush. I went over the dark layer of black ink with black acryl gouache, an even deeper black, and applied highlights using white acryl gouache. The side profile, pearl, and body are composed of the same materials used on the hair. It is only the background and a small showing of the earring's hook that I used gold leaf. For this painting, I was inspired by the simplicity of hair, so I wanted to portray it in an elegant manner. I decided I wanted the subject to be wearing a pearl earring for innocence, the back bare and the subject looking away for vulnerability. The gold background gives the painting almost a holy feel. With all elements combined, this painting shows the beauty, elegance, and vulnerability of a simple human being. I want to continue to create more artwork like these two as I go on to University for my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; however, my parents and I cannot afford tuition or housing. It was even a struggle to afford classes at community college. I want to prove to myself and to my parents, that I a Mexican-Korean American can succeed and make my dreams come true.

Cassidy A. Alcorn - Cousins Essay Joseph Landolfi was a musician, an aspiring politician, a brother, a son, a nephew, and a friend to many. He was also my cousin. When Joseph passed away at 19 from Acute Myeloid Leukemia, our family's entire world came crashing down. He was the card that kept our house of cards standing, so when he drew his last breath, everyone fell. It wasn't just family that saw Joseph as compassionate, courteous, strong-willed, and kindhearted. Teachers as well as peers thought positively of Joseph, because he left a strong impact on everyone he met and helped. As my cousin, he was someone I looked up to, and went to help for, because I knew he would treat me with an open mind. When we were both in elementary, I use to run up to him and jump on his back; fortunately, he didn't mind it all. He simply hugged me back, told me I love you too, and hurried me back to my classroom. It's my favorite memory of us as cousins. I also knew him as a thoughtful son and nephew: for example, he always helped his mother and never complained. When I was in the hospital for a suicide attempt, he comforted my mother whenever she was crying or worried. With Joseph gone, I try to follow in his footsteps by treating both my mother and his mother with respect. He use to always get his mother a gift on holidays, so now I do it in his place. He use to always comfort my mother when she wasn't mentally doing well or use to randomly show her affection, so now I do it in his place. Not only was Joseph a good person in different settings such as at home, with friends or family, he was determined to finish school. He was knowledgeable in American History, politics, and world history. Joseph knew everything about any war, all you had to do was ask a question, and he'd give you an answer. While he strongly aspired to be a politician, he also wished to make the world we live in a better place, and he wanted to help others. His single, Hispanic mother raised him along with his younger brother and sister. She worked hard to make sure they had better opportunities than she did. Joseph wanted to help other people that came from the same background as him. Joseph had the most impact on me when he supported my dream of going to school for art. Not very many people were on my side, not even my parents, but my cousin was. The type of person Joseph was and his accomplishments inspired me to not give up on my dream. The following year I graduated high school, I applied for community college to take classes at a cheaper cost, and to earn some credits until I applied for University. I was only 16. I am now 18 and have been accepted into the University of Nevada, Reno; however, I do not have enough money from grants, and my parents are unwilling to help me. Some people many skip over this scholarship, because $1,000 is not a lot to them, but to me $1,000 is enough to take another step towards the direction of my dream.