Something I want to build is a family for the Kingdom of God through my photography. Ever since I was in high school, I had this love for seeing in a way that's unique to me. Through my lens, everyone can gain an understanding of my perceptions in this wide world we live in. Seeing other photography, there was this phenomenon that came to my attention-people smile for photos most of the time. There's this habit of plastering something on our face that we might not actually feel in that moment or never at all. It made me feel bad that in the only evidence we have of our existence, we're usually not being as human-like as we were created to be. Then we look at the camera almost saying "Here I am! I see you, but you may never see me!". I wanted to change this. As a Christian, I am called to bring light to areas so truth can be seen clearly. I've decided to take that opportunity to help others see themselves as they are. Through questionnaires where I get to know the individual, allowing them to be in a place or doing something that makes them feel comfortable, and then taking photoshoots of that moment would truly capture the authentic soul of the person rather than a forced photo. People light up truly seeing themselves be captured in a way they never thought they could express. It could also serve as a reminder to always be true whenever faced with compromise. I also want to use my photography to teach others. Bringing light to situation is not all I'm called to do, but also truth. In a world full of noise and lies, it's easy to get distracted from the things that deeply matter. Sometimes it's family, love, careers, or most definitely healing. It's something that as the numbers of loneliness and mental health struggles rise, we often escape. However, through evoking concepts of myself symbolizing different struggles in life and written words I created, I want to show vulnerability. Constant technology hinders us to be ourselves fully with one another and to even feel represented in this world so why not use it for a different purpose-truth and impact? The "Let's Build Together" Scholarship would be instrumental in helping me achieve this vision. To do all of this, I'm first finishing my art degree at Kennesaw State University for Photography & Professional Writing. Although I didn't need to go to college for this, I feel like college was an opportunity to network and understand where a lot of people are in this world. I then would like to create my own art studio where people can come in and I can assist them in expressing themselves. If I were given this scholarship, I would help guide others in the community to bring connection, authenticity, and confidence to conquer their lives with stronger identities.

Everyone has something in their life that motivates them to act, showing the power belief has over us. There are some beliefs, however, that we keep locked up, ingrained into our minds eternally. Whichever way you go, I wanted to experiment with both by creating a piece about my faith further challenging my creativity. Faith means believing in and acting on something even if you don't see it. In what better way was there to visualize this than to show my road to belief? What better way was there to erase my fear of telling my faith, than to show how I believe? "Take the High Road" is a mixed media piece combining plaster powder, foam board, and monochromatic colors of purple to create something deeply spiritual. The hands represent the mindsets I chose at the time. What really inspired this piece was the phrase "Take the High Road". Ever since I was a kid, I've heard that said to me whenever I was expected to forgive someone for hurting me. Whether it meant loving my annoying sister or choosing to be kind to someone that offended me, it was mandatory. Sometimes, I didn't understand why I couldn't just let my feelings sweep over me in a storm. Why would it be such a bad thing to act on something that was created in us to feel. In the lower part, I displayed this confusion through the fingers frantically reaching through the holes attempting to reach the light. The fingers represent an effort to escape the anxious detachment that plagues my mind. They reach out in desperation for survival onto anything that would keep them afloat. After dealing with significant changes like moving, new schools, and always being new, I stopped trying to take up so much space believing that was the only way I could cope without rejection. In this situation, “Take the High Road” meant simply surviving through people-pleasing, perfectionism, and overthinking. Whenever I would try to be more than that, with all my childlike wonder, I would make myself shrink with those mechanisms, hurting myself for my difference. This destructive perspective is shown through the fist punching into myself beneath it leaving crumbles and brokenness. Upon realizing what I was doing, I turned to my faith because sometimes that's all you have. At first, I was nervous about reaching out. I've always been told to watch my surroundings and don't talk to strangers, identifying danger with my eyes and ears, but I couldn't see Him, so how could I believe? Sitting with that thought, I decided to raise my hand up to Him vulnerably asking for help anyways. I asked for forgiveness for how I treated others and myself, I prayed for my protection, and that He would always love me despite the ways I'd messed up. No matter how hard it felt, I allowed Him to carry the weight that so heavily burdened me so that I could grow in courage and strength. Choosing to break from my box out to a point higher than me was the greatest thing I could have ever done. This is a favorite piece of mine because it's a reminder of what I have to surrender to God. Conceptually, "Take the High Road" symbolizes my journey toward true Christianity and a relationship with God rather than shame. Allowing my spirituality to bring hope, resilience, and transformation through my once entanglement to anxiety is what continues to inspire me each day to impact the lives of others.

Art has always been a way for me to explore my world and understand myself and my purpose in existence. Of course, as it is for anyone, this is an ongoing journey throughout life, something I had yet to understand. Ever since I was little, I had a love for Tinkerbell and the whimsical Pixie Hollow. I, too, desired adventure in my life to become an explorer. Like her, I couldn't look to anyone else for inspiration; I wanted to find my own way. Whether that meant venturing into new territories of finger paintings and popsicle stick statues in elementary school, I would find it. From there, doors began to open for me in high school. Art class with Mrs. Fowler was full of colored pencils, painting, clay, printmaking, and plaster. So many new opportunities for me to make my own, besides my own, like Tinkerbell. There was always a sense of holding myself back when I was doing something, yet I ventured on. Beyond my disappointment that arose when I "failed" realizing it wasn't for me, my teacher impacted me with her bright smile and words of affirmation to not give up. Despite the encouragement she gave me, I couldn't shake this stifled sense of self I was starting to see from the certain standards for my art and everyone's, limits that compressed me. 12th grade is when I started to lose what once kept me afloat, my love for creation. In AP 2-D Art and Design, I gained the ability to work independently, and my creativity awoke. Mrs. Swanner was a teacher who was like my mom. She truly cooperated with me, opening my eyes to things unseen and paving new roads for me to take in my work. I felt like I was really doing something in my photography, and most felt it too. Since I was new to Saint Francis, I felt like I had to prove something. So when satisfaction isn't always what I received from others about my work, I felt like I wanted to please them. Where there was once curiosity and exploration, perfectionism and shame took their place. It didn't take long for me to feel like an imposter, someone who supposedly loved art so much, but actually just did it for others. I realized I never had a why behind my work; I just created with no purpose. It wasn't until I got into college that I truly understood what creativity was and why I chose it. It wasn't that drawing was something I had to do as an artist. It wasn't that I had to lose myself trying new things either. As I went through my drawing, digital, and art history classes, I started to reflect on what intrigued me originally, and how that could come to the forefront of my life. I wanted to see who I depended on to tell me, and if that was what I believed. As I connected more with myself as a Christian, I took it up with God rather than my teachers. After a couple of semesters, I figured out that God, my Creator, placed imagination, curiosity, and the desire to create within me. Not to please, but for creation to shape every aspect of my life to reflect His glory.