Mental illness wasn't something I talked about growing up. As a kid things seemed simple, I would run around outside, get my hands dirty, and craft anything I could think of. I always knew something was different with my family though. My parents never showed any sort of love toward each other, and my father was always present but was absent in every other aspect of being a parent. As I grew up my mental health started to change, I was always afraid on the weekends. What would my dad get mad at today? Would I be able to ask him a question? Can I have a different opinion? Every weekend I needed to walk on eggshells. After the divorce things got a little better. My mom has always been supportive, she was and still is my rock that helped me get through everything. And my dad actually started to seem like he cared about my sister and I. It went on for a few months, and hope was starting to form. Then, he met his new wife. It started slow. We would see her at a lunch, then we met her son, then we were introduced to her family. And all of a sudden we were moved in, shoved into a tiny room, and left without a say in our life again. Once my dad's new wife realized we were there to stay, her true colors came out. She never liked me. I was too skinny, I looked too much like my mom, I was quiet, I was young, so on and so on. She took her insecurities out on me. And my dad let her, he would support her in a way. I tried not to let it control me but I was a young high school girl and the pressure from school and at home changed how I perceived myself. The eating disorder came first. She was dieting constantly and would call herself a cow, but we were the same size. I'm not going to get into too much detail for my own sake but things went downhill quickly. My anxiety is what spiked next. When I was with my mom, everything was calm. She wasn't having constant mood swings or belittling me. She was my safe place. I would always be telling her what was going on at my dad's but I kept my mental health to myself for as long as I could. Then the weekend would come around and I would be with him again. The back and forth of calm and anxiety took its toll and I knew I needed something to change. I cut him off, and I left. It was the most mature thing I could have ever done for myself. I choose myself, I wanted to have happiness again. And I did it. I am now a sophomore in college working towards my dream career. I try to be as kind as I can to everyone I meet because I don't know what their background looks like. I want to be someone of support, a listener, for whoever needs it because I know how much it can help. I also work to fight against body image. I want everyone to know they are beautiful, it doesn’t matter what our body looks like, as hard as it is to accept. It is our vessel to get through life, to find joy and love. Mental health is scary, it's intimidating, but once more and more people start showing kindness and acceptance we can learn new ways to coincide with it.

I love painting, it could be with oil, acrylic, gouache, or watercolor. But when I use watercolor it feels different. I love being able to create layers and form new colors and discover new textures. The first time I was actually given a lesson on how to use watercolor properly was during my freshman year of high school. My teacher, Mr. Foster, got the class hooked when he told us we don't always need water to clean our brushes and then proceeded to put his paint-filled brush into his mouth. (Don't worry he then immediately said to not actually do that.) I loved Mr. Foster, he encouraged us to try new things with our paintings and would push me when he saw potential in me. Currently, I am a sophomore at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. I am majoring in Illustration and minoring in Natural Science because my dream career is to be a Scientific Illustrator. My style of art is realism and everything I choose to create has some sort of greenery in it. I love to use my sister's photography as my references. It feels special having both our passions connect. Typically I use watercolor when painting anything from nature. I like creating the unique texture of water or feathers with watercolor. The pieces I've submitted are from this winter. My sister and I went to the small pond near our house in the bitter cold and found some birds swimming together. My sister let me look at the pictures she'd taken and I knew I needed to paint them. The first that hooked me was the Heron, he looked so peaceful wading in the current. I then chose the Geese because I loved the shadows they had casted on the water.

I had a good childhood. I spent most of my time chasing butterflies and playing outside or in my basement drawing and building things for my barbies. My mom made sure I was always happy. We would even have "mom and me days" where my sister and I would take turns and spend the day with our mom. My dad on the other hand felt like an absent parent, granted he was always there but that was it. He felt more like the angry man living in the basement than a father figure. During middle school, they divorced and everything changed. Mom's house was the safe place, the place where my sister and I could feel happy. Dad eventually met his new wife, she somehow made things worse for us. After years of verbal and mental abuse given from both of them, my sister and I finally cut our dad off. My mom has been my rock through everything. She supported my decision in removing my father to help save my mental health and encouraged me to speak with professionals about getting help. She always puts me first. She wants me to know that I have a voice that is meant to be heard and listened to, even when we don't agree she wants me to know I have valid opinions. And it doesn't matter how small my problem is; if I'm too afraid to drive she'll be by the door with the keys. When the tornado is blowing down my door, she will be there with a hammer and nails putting it back up. Currently, I am a sophomore at Milwaukee Institute of art and design pursuing a career in scientific illustration. My creativity has always been supported by my mom, when I was questioning whether my art would just be a hobby she was there telling me to follow my dreams and showing me the photo album full of all the things I've made that she has slowly been collecting. Financially I wouldn't be able to go to school without her, we still struggle to pay for tuition but we do the best we can together. My mom has shaped me into the person I am today, a strong, independent, creative, and happy young woman. I don't think I will ever be able to put into words how grateful I am for my mom. I love you mom, thank you for everything.

I was an outdoor child. I loved rolling in the fresh-cut grass, chasing butterflies, and climbing trees. When I wasn't running around I was creating whatever I could imagine. I didn't want to buy a new shiny dollhouse, I wanted to make it. I created the animals I discovered out of paper and tape, and painted the flowers from the garden. Now as a creative, I want to become a scientific illustrator. Every piece I draw or paint has some sort of greenery or living creature in it. My sister loves photography and I use many of her landscape photos as references for my pieces so they can all have meaning to me. I find inspiration in the smallest details, from the climbing ivy above a door to the cracks in the wall. I have a strong interest in environmental wellness and I want to learn more about sustainability to do my part in fighting for the planet. I have been plant-based for 5 years and vegan for 2 years. I also am conscious of the amount of waste I create. I want my future work and career to focus on promoting environmental issues to work toward positive change.

I believe one of the biggest issues we are facing right now is climate change. The damage we have done to our planet is almost irreversible, we pollute our air and water, destroy forests and habitats, and over farm/harvest so many resources. Our oceans are warming, the ice is melting, and we still haven't taken action; there is still have time to save the Earth. We have been polluting our waters for so long. We now have the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This patch is so large that we can't get rid of it. If we tried we would harm so much wildlife in the area and it would simply cost too much. The only solution is ending single use plastic. Encouraging our communities to use alternatives to our every day plastic consumption will be the only way to slow down the plastic gathering in our waters, the plastic that will end up on our plates. As consumers we over indulge. We destroy rainforest in order to harvest palm oil, over fish, and cram thousands of animals in barns to abuse and release harmful gases into the atmosphere. Sustainability isn't something the large producers seem to care about. A more plant based diet should be introduced into homes. Having everyone become a vegan or vegetarian isn't necessary, but to reduce the amount of meat being produced and sold in order to slow the release of greenhouse gases. Sustainability needs to become the biggest concern for producers in order for us to become responsible consumers.

I have always loved creating, my entire childhood was dedicated to it. I made things for my dolls with cardboard, Elmer's glue, and crayons. I would spend hours in the basement making whatever I could think of. At first I told myself it could only be a hobby, that I needed to earn an "actual" degree in the medical or legal field because that was what I always heard from others. As I grew up my perspective changed. I knew I wouldn't be happy with any other job, I didn't want to force myself to become someone else because others might judge me for pursuing art. I started fighting for what I wanted. Currently I am a freshman at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design pursuing a degree in Illustration. I love drawing, painting, and sculpting. Art brings me so much happiness, I hope to be able to use my pieces to advocate for the things I am fighting for. I have a lot of passion for the planet and hope to convey the importance of protecting the Earth through my art. I focus on the beauty of landscapes, and almost all of my pieces include some sort of greenery combined with architecture. My preferred mediums are colored pencil, oil paint, and sometimes gouache. I would say I am a realistic artist. I love using as much detail as I can because I believe everything is unique, from the vines growing on a doorway, the cracks on the steps, to the tumbling plains and towering trees at the edge of a field. My sister's photographs give me a lot of inspiration and I often use them as my references, her passion connects with mine and brings us together. I believe art is able to connect us all, it can be used to communicate, and it can allow us to express ourselves in a beautiful way. So much is going on in our world, art and music can be a way of escaping or coping with our problems. Our pieces can also be interpreted differently depending on the person. Our art can start discussions, change perspectives, and bring attention to details the artist believes is important. Art can make a difference.

I have always loved creating, my entire childhood was dedicated to it. I made things for my dolls with cardboard, Elmer's glue, and crayons. I would spend hours in the basement making whatever I could think of. At first I told myself it could only be a hobby, that I needed to earn an "actual" degree in the medical or legal field because that was what I always heard from others. As I grew up my perspective changed. I knew I wouldn't be happy with any other job, I didn't want to force myself to become someone else because others might judge me for pursuing art. I started fighting for what I wanted. Currently I am a freshman at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design pursuing a degree in Illustration. I love drawing, painting, and sculpting. Art brings me so much happiness, I hope to be able to use my pieces to advocate for the things I am fighting for. I have a lot of passion for the planet and hope to convey the importance of protecting the Earth through my art. I focus on the beauty of landscapes, and almost all of my pieces include some sort of greenery combined with architecture. My preferred mediums are colored pencil, oil paint, and sometimes gouache. I would say I am a realistic artist. I love using as much detail as I can because I believe everything is unique, from the vines growing on a doorway, the cracks on the steps, to the tumbling plains and towering trees at the edge of a field. My sister's photographs give me a lot of inspiration and I often use them as my references, her passion connects with mine and brings us together. I believe art is able to connect us all and can be used to communicate in so many ways. My mother and sister have been my biggest supporters. They encouraged me to follow my dreams of becoming an artist. This scholarship would really help me because it is just my mother and I trying to pay for tuition. I can continue to focus on my future with the help of this scholarship, it would bring me one step closer to reaching my goals. My education is very important to me, I want to see myself grow and try as many techniques and mediums as I can. I have big and passionate dreams, and I have every intention of making them true.

I have always loved creating; as a child I made things for my dolls with cardboard, Elmer's glue, and crayons. My goal is to get a career in Illustration and to be a free lance artist. I create pieces that make me happy. I like to focus on scenery and adding as much detail as I can. I prefer to work with oil paint, gouache, and color pencils. My other passions include environmental wellness, which is another reason why almost all of my pieces include greenery. My sister's photographs give me a lot of inspiration, her passion connects with mine and brings us together. Art connects us all and can be used to communicate in so many ways.