I vividly remember standing frozen in front of a booth at the Dogwood Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. The booth belonged to an African American artist named Alex Lanier. His art contained something I had never seen before. It contained familiar images of my life, my culture, and the reality of what it is like to grow up as a young, African American boy. Upon first glance at his work, each piece felt alive, expressive, and personal. For the first time at a major art venue, I saw artwork that not only reflected the world around me but also my culture’s unique experiences. Beforehand, I walked through countless galleries and attended dozens of festivals searching for a reflection of my culture and life experiences. Instead, I found nothing. This absence lingered with me for a long time, but Lanier’s work shattered it. His use of digital paint and traditional ink pens transformed everyday moments into powerful statements regarding his identity and childhood. He showed me that African-American stories deserved to be celebrated and that visual art is a means to making this a reality. After this experience, I decided I would become an artist who creates work that speaks to others in the same way Lanier’s art spoke to me. My creative vision is rooted in honoring the voices that are often overlooked. Through illustrations and comics, I plan to uplift underrepresented communities. My art will spark recognition, healing, and pride in others. My plans extend beyond self-expression. I will empower the same people through more tangible actions. My long-term goal is to launch a company dedicated to highlighting artists from marginalized communities. This platform will provide access to museum spaces and international festivals where artists can showcase and sell their art. I will also fund a scholarship for aspiring artists pursuing formal training and create outreach programs in schools where access to the arts is limited. My journey as an artist is not only about representation. I will create a sense of belonging, power, and possibility for those who have been excluded from traditional narratives. Through my work and future company, I will foster a more inclusive art world, one where visual art is more diverse, narrative-focused, and impact-driven. Art has the power to empower others but also to enact change. Alex Lanier’s artwork did that for me. I will use my artistic abilities and entrepreneurial spirit to do the same for others.

Seeing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse in theaters for the first time left me with a feeling I’d never felt before - a feeling of truly being seen. The film’s main character, Miles Morales, is a young Afro-Latino superhero, someone who reflected both my cultural and personal experiences. For the first time, I truly resonated with an on-screen character who looked like me. I left the theater that day knowing I wanted to give others that same feeling, to help them see themselves in the characters and stories that invoke an emotional experience. The film also opened my eyes to the lack of diversity in mainstream entertainment. The realization inspired my dream to create diverse and creative characters and stories through a range of creative mediums such as graphic novels, live-action and animated films, and video games. As a freshman in high school, I committed to turning this dream into reality. I decided that I would pursue a career in storytelling, primarily as a sequential artist, by combining writing and illustration to tell stories that celebrate underrepresented groups. A one-week seminar at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the summer after my sophomore year, expanded my dream. The visit opened my eyes to the large population of diverse students who were looking to leave an impact on the world, just like me. I no longer wanted just to create empowering stories for underrepresented groups, but I now wanted to create a production company where I would be able to give other underrepresented groups the ability to do the same. Throughout the remainder of high school, I worked tirelessly towards this goal. I took honors and college-level courses in literature, art, history, and math while maintaining a cumulative 4.0 grade point average. My determination to achieve my goals and drive for self-improvement are two of my biggest strengths. Going into high school, some of my biggest weaknesses were public speaking, leading other people, and my ability to articulate a clear message through my art. I proactively made efforts to overcome these weaknesses. As a sophomore, I became a student ambassador to overcome my predicament with public speaking. In this role, I gave tours at my school to prospective families during and after the admissions process. During my junior and senior years, I served as the co-president of my school’s chapter of the National Honor Society, a role that tested my communication skills as well as taught me how to lead others to orchestrate community service-based events. Throughout high school, I worked to become a stronger visual storyteller by taking Advanced Placement 2D Art, learning from industry professionals, and attending a summer seminar at SCAD. Another one of my weaknesses lies with my need to upskill myself with formal business knowledge, something I plan to overcome as I become immersed in SCAD’s business degree program. My vision for the future is bold, but clear. I will use my production company to act as a platform where underrepresented groups will collaborate to create a vast library of stories that will empower people in the same way Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse empowered me. Additionally, I will give back in tangible ways. I plan to donate 25% of my company's profits to organizations that empower underrepresented groups through initiatives such as career mentorship, scholarships, arts exposure, and financial support for underrepresented creatives. This scholarship will enrich the furtherance of my financial journey to attend SCAD and will heavily assist in making my dreams become a reality. Both of my parents are first-generation college graduates and are approaching retirement. They have supported my journey financially and emotionally all of my life. But the financial stress is real. Despite working a part-time job this past year and sacrificing the fun of my senior year to focus on maintaining a 4.0 GPA, the cost of attending SCAD is still a heavy burden. This scholarship would help to alleviate that burden, not only for me but for my parents. Additionally, it would afford me the education I need to garner the financial stability I need to provide opportunities for other creatives to create empowering content for audiences around the world.

I’ve visited many art museums and festivals over the years. Each visit has inspired me to create better artwork and has broadened my understanding of the world. These experiences have also led me to the realization that the stories and perspectives that have shaped me, those of African Americans, were often missing. That absence lingered with me and, for a long time, I did not know how to process it. Everything changed for me after a visit to the Dogwood Art Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. With over a hundred vendors, only one artist drew me in. This artist was Alex Lanier, a gifted African-American illustrator who blends traditional ink pens and digital paint. His artworks perfectly capture the beauty and struggle of what it is like to grow up as an African-American kid. Each piece felt expressive and personal. For the first time at a major art venue, I saw artwork that reflected my culture’s unique experiences. Lanier’s work was very inspiring. He showed me that my love for comics and illustration could have a place in a museum alongside the greats. Additionally, he helped me to not only imagine a world where my art would be validated in traditional art spaces, but also a world where artists of other marginalized people groups will get to tell their stories through their art within those same spaces. That experience has shaped my mission. Through my art, I want to celebrate Black culture and identity while creating space for other minorities to do the same. I hope my artwork makes a positive impact on the world by empowering viewers to see the beauty and value in their own cultures. I will not stop there. I plan to establish a company that will give visual artists, especially those from marginalized communities, the opportunity to showcase their work in contemporary museums and festivals around the world. Oftentimes, the exposure of talented artists’ work to the world is limited by a lack of support. My goal is to build a platform that breaks down those barriers by providing the space, resources, and audience these artists deserve. Finally, I will give back in tangible ways. I plan to donate 25% of my company's profits to organizations that uplift marginalized groups through tutoring, mentorship, arts access, and scholarship. Representation matters, but meaningful change requires investment. I want my artwork and company to be that investment.

I have visited several art museums and festivals throughout the years. Each visit has inspired and challenged me to create better artwork. Additionally, these experiences have broadened my understanding of the world. They have also led me to the disheartening realization that the stories and perspectives that have shaped me, those of African Americans, were often missing. That absence has stood out to me and lingered for a long time. For a while, I did not know how to process this. Everything changed for me after a visit to the Dogwood Art Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Over a hundred art vendors attend the festival each year. This year in particular, only one artist truly drew me in. This artist was Alex Lanier, a gifted African-American artist who creates pieces derived from traditional ink pens and digital paint. His artworks perfectly capture the beauty and struggle of what it is like to grow up as an African-American kid. Upon first glance at his artwork, each piece felt alive, expressive, and personal. For the first time at a major art venue, I saw artwork that not only reflected the world around me, but also my culture’s unique experiences. I found Lanier’s work very inspiring. He showed me that I too could take my love for comics and illustration and use it to create artwork that belonged in a museum next to artists like Davinci or Van Gogh. Additionally, Lanier helped me to not only imagine a world where my art would be validated in traditional art spaces, but also a world where artists of other marginalized people groups will get to tell their stories through their art within those very same spaces. My encounter with Lanier has shaped what I hope to achieve in the future through my artwork. I want to create artwork that not only celebrates my culture and identity, but also artwork that acts as a voice for people who are often underrepresented. I hope to empower people to see the beauty and power within their own culture. I will not stop there. I plan to establish a company that will give visual artists, especially those from marginalized communities, the opportunity to showcase their work in contemporary museums and festivals around the world. Oftentimes, the exposure of talented artists and their artwork to the world is limited by a lack of support. My goal is to build a platform that breaks down those barriers by providing the space, resources, and audience these artists deserve. I will also give back in tangible ways. I plan to donate 25% of my company's profits to organizations that empower minorities and other marginalized groups through student tutoring, career mentorship, access to the arts, and scholarship funding. Representation matters, but real change can not occur without investing in the communities I hope to empower. I envision my future relationship with art as something that will constantly grow with me as I mature and am exposed to various environments. Art has always been the means by which I process the world, and that will remain true in the future. My art will continue to be how I explore my identity, confront injustice, and also celebrate my humanity. As I grow, especially as an entrepreneur, I see my art as becoming more collaborative as I work to give other artists the space to express themselves. I see my future endeavors with my art, as well as the opportunities I create for others, as becoming a tool for healing, increased awareness of the issues marginalized people groups face, and a step towards change for the better.

Something you must know about me first and foremost is that I love a good story. Whether that story is a classic tale about a superhero, a love story, some kind of psychological thriller, or just a simple compilation of parables; I love them all. The only thing I love more than a good story is a compelling character; someone inspiring, someone you can look up to, someone to relate to, to learn from, or to even compare yourself to. I know how empowering characters can be. They can teach the young, inspire the old, motivate someone down on their luck, make the miserable smile, or even be a door to an entire world. Although I grew up loving and being inspired by characters such as Spider-Man, Batman, and even Naruto, I could never clearly see myself within these figures. It was not until my 6th-grade year of middle school that I saw a character as young, relatable, and empowering as Marvel’s Miles Morales, on the big screen. The experience was surreal, an indescribable joy. It also led to a disheartening realization that people are not always able to see characters that represent themselves in the empowering characters in pop culture. This inspired my goal to create stories with diverse and compelling characters, where everyone can see themselves and experience the same indescribable joy that I experienced. I have taken steps towards meeting this goal by taking advanced literature and composition courses in high school, creating my own blog site to review pop culture books and movies, taking steps to develop my own art style, and I’ve also begun writing the script for my own long-term graphic novel series. I have plans to do so much more. Both of my parents are first-generation college graduates. They both grew up seeing their respective single moms take care of their families with minimum-wage jobs. In light of my grandparents’ trials in life, they always instilled in their children the importance of education, exploring, and reaching your goals. My parents have instilled those same philosophies within me. Although I don’t get to visit my grandmothers as often as I’d like to, I always hold on to their encouraging advice, work hard at everything that I do, and strive to serve a higher purpose in life. I’m always seeking opportunities to learn something new and further my growth as a writer, artist, and future innovator. If I am selected to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, I will apply my grandmother’s advice, work hard, and use the opportunity as a sponge for learning as I am introduced to film, art, design, writing, and character design. More importantly, I will apply the experience to improving my blog site and use it as a catalyst to one day reach my goal of creating empowering and relatable characters for others to experience through my stories.

Something you must know about me first and foremost is that I love a good story. Whether that story is a classic tale about a superhero, a love story, some kind of psychological thriller, or just a simple compilation of parables; I love them all. The only thing I love more than a good story is a compelling character; someone inspiring, someone you can look up to, someone to relate to, to learn from, or to even compare yourself to. I know how empowering characters can be. They can teach the young, inspire the old, motivate someone down on their luck, make the miserable smile, or even be a door to an entire world. Although I grew up loving and being inspired by characters such as Spider-Man, Batman, and even Naruto, I could never clearly see myself within these figures. It was not until my 6th-grade year of middle school that I saw a character as young, relatable, and empowering as Marvel’s Miles Morales, on the big screen. The experience was surreal, an indescribable joy. It also led to a disheartening realization that people are not always able to see characters that represent themselves in the empowering characters in pop culture. This inspired my goal to create stories with diverse and compelling characters, where everyone can see themselves and experience the same indescribable joy that I experienced. I have taken steps towards meeting this goal by taking advanced literature and composition courses in high school, creating my own blog site to review pop culture books and movies, taking steps to develop my own art style, and I’ve also begun writing the script for my own long-term graphic novel series. I have plans to do so much more. Both of my parents are first-generation college graduates. They both grew up seeing their respective single moms take care of their families with minimum-wage jobs. In light of my grandparents’ trials in life, they always instilled in their children the importance of education, exploring, and reaching your goals. My parents have instilled those same philosophies within me. Although I don’t get to visit my grandmothers as often as I’d like to, I always hold on to their encouraging advice, work hard at everything that I do, and strive to serve a higher purpose in life. I’m always seeking opportunities to learn something new and further my growth as a writer, artist, and future innovator. If I am selected to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, I will apply my grandmother’s advice, work hard, and use the opportunity as a sponge for learning as I am introduced to film, art, design, writing, and character design. More importantly, I will apply the experience to improving my blog site and use it as a catalyst to one day reach my goal of creating empowering and relatable characters for others to experience through my stories.

Ever since I can remember, I have always been exposed to animes such as Sonic X, Pokemon, and even Doraemon. Despite this constant exposure, it wasn’t until I turned 8 that I fell in love with the anime, Naruto. Naruto is a shonen anime that follows the story of a young ninja named Naruto Uzumaki who seeks to become his village's leader or “Hokage”. I love everything about the series from the action and character designs to the theme songs. The one aspect that most often keeps me coming back is the universal life stories and lessons shared through the lens of Naruto. One lesson Naruto taught me revolves around the ideas of loneliness and friendship. Naruto was born with a demon sealed inside of him and as a result, he often struggled to make friends. I first began watching Naruto when I was 8 years old and around the same time, I’d just started attending a new school. At this new school, I often struggled to make friends similarly to that of Naruto. As Naruto grew older and matured he began to make friends and to find acceptance among his peers by always initiating character traits such as sympathy and loyalty towards others. Over the years, as I’ve made friends of my own I’ve remembered and implemented these traits of kindness into my relationships and interactions with the people in my life. The most important lesson I learned from Naruto was a lesson on perseverance. Naruto is a character who does not understand the meaning of giving up. This can be seen when Naruto fights Gaara for the first time after the Chunin Exams are abruptly interrupted by Orochimaru and the sound ninja. This perseverance can be seen when Naruto exhausts himself when learning the Rasengan under Jiriya Sensei’s teachings. This can also be seen in Naruto’s lengthy pursuit of his best friend Sasuke as Naruto attempts to stop his friend from going down a path of revenge. This idea of never giving up has been something I’ve implemented into all facets of my life such as my track career, my academics, and even in my pursuit of becoming a world-renowned storyteller and artist. Although it’s been years since I was first exposed to Naruto, I’ve rewatched the series twice and read the manga numerous times. Despite how much I’ve grown in the 9 years since I first discovered the series, I still find myself holding on to these life lessons even today at 17 years old.

Shamiek Moore, the voice actor for Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse’s Miles Morales, a variant of Peter Parker, is my favorite Spider-Man actor because his portrayal of Spider-Man allowed me to experience a superhero who resembled myself, offering a unique and relatable perspective. Throughout my life, I’ve often struggled to find someone who looked like me, a young African American male, in the superhero media I frequently consumed. I grew up loving heroes like Batman, Robin, and Peter Parker’s Spider-Man because of how brave and powerful they were but I also often felt a disconnection from these characters due to the differences in our appearance and cultural backgrounds. This feeling of disconnection and awkwardness became especially prevalent when it was time to cosplay these characters for events like Comic-Con or Halloween. I didn't discover a character I could deeply relate to on both a cultural and generational level until I experienced Sony’s release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse which starred Miles Morales an Afro-Latino teenager, who was struggling to live up to big expectations. I was twelve years old and starting a new school when the movie first premiered. And much like Miles, I too grappled with fitting in among my peers while living up to big expectations. Within the first Spider-Verse film, Shamiek Moore did a fantastic job of breathing life into Miles’ character – someone who was very sociable yet anxious, funny yet awkward, and very independent yet unsure of who he wanted to be. In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Miles is now 15 years old. Despite playing the same character, Shamiek Moore does an effective job of making Miles seem like he has matured during the time skip between the first and second movies, not only as a young man but also in his role as his universe’s one and only Spider-Man. I was 16 years old when the second movie was released, and while watching the film, Shamiek’s performance made me feel as though Miles and I had grown in very similar ways between the releases of the first two films. I am now 17 years old. As I reflect on Shamiek Moore’s portrayal of Miles in the Spider-Verse franchise, I feel incredibly grateful to have gotten the opportunity to experience such a performance that hits close to home. Not only did Shamiek Moore successfully breathe life into the character of Miles Morales but he has successfully made me and millions of other people around the world feel as though they too could be Spider-Man.