I have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder for 4 years. I never knew how big of an impact this would make on my life, but every party, every interaction, and every move I made became a constant threat to my well-being. It got to a point where I would have back-to-back breakdowns from the negativity echoing persistently in my brain. Part of my hurt came from watching people I love get overcome by their mental struggles. My entire friend group in high school was going through something mentally. I never knew what I was getting myself into at first. I would hear their concerns, their pain, their cries. I would move anything I was going through to the side in order to help them. I became their therapist, their punching bag, their comfort object but never their actual friend. I didn't know it then but it I became a more negative person because I put myself last. I started taking medication to help my anxiety and unfortunately, it wasn't the best experience. I struggled a lot and unlocked a side of myself I didn't know existed. Nevertheless, it taught me how to find calm after the storm and be more self-aware. I have made numerous efforts to build myself up from the dark hole my mind was trapped in. I stopped using the medication I was on, became a leader for my group senior art show project, learned how to stand up for myself and so much more. I have shown tremendous growth from where I was a year ago and everyday I strive to not let my anxiety take the wheel. Now I know how to identify what my triggers are and what causes my anxious responses. Listening to music, doing yoga, and practicing my breathing to help calm my body and mind. Letting go of people who hurt me, distancing myself from people who make me uncomfortable. I won't lie, after graduating, I feel a little lonelier after letting go of so many people but I feel stronger knowing that I was able chose myself over others. I have started to understand that choosing yourself is not selfish, it's self love. If you've ever heard the saying, "You can't pour from an empty cup" please listen to it. You are your greatest treasure and nothing and no one can change that truth. Setting boundaries doesn't make you evil or heartless, it makes you human. Your mental health matters just as much as everyone else's but you can only help others if you're okay first.

I plan to make a positive impact on the world through my art by helping bring simplicity and fun back into media. I have noticed that the animation entertainment industry is having a hard time making shows relevant, unique, and comforting. I was lucky to be born in a time where animation companies were thriving in creativity. Kids would consume shows that really taught them something in a simple manner. Shows like Team Umizoomi, Word Girl, and Sid the Science Kid. A time where every show taught a lesson in a way no other show has like in Peppa Pig, Bubble Guppies, and Octonauts. I've seen how the lack of educational, low stimulation content has affected our future generation. My baby cousins watching YouTube shorts for hours, faces leaned so far into their screens, their attention span slowly dwindling over the years. While we can sit and blame this on the parents, there also isn't enough accessible educational media for kids anymore. I want to bring content like this to our future generations. To make shows have visibility and family connection like Bluey. To make shows that our nation's kids can grow up and look back on fondly. Shows that they can admire and respect even at an old age. Shows that they would want to pass on to their kids. I want to pitch ideas, create shows, and help build visions for small companies who also share my passion. That is how I plan to make a positive impact on the world through my art, creating shows to lead our nation's children to success and happiness.

My favorite art piece so far is a painting of a plate of pancakes. I am currently a senior at an art high school. I decided to attend art school because I knew how much I adored creating. I loved to make things that were playful, fun, weird, or out of the box. I remember going into high school in my first year with so much passion and joy. Learning about so many mediums of art I've never heard of before, being around other artists, and finally feeling like I belonged. Unfortunately, I was so distracted by the glamour of the arts that I was naive to the enormous wave of work that was set to hit me. I started to become frustrated with art. Constantly receiving assignments that were so abstract, complicated, or just completely out of my comfort zone. Never getting a break from the, "You have to make something like this..." to get time to just do something I was passionate about. I started to only do art for grades and other people's satisfaction. Then with juggling the core class load as well. Test, quizzes, homework, projects, and finals. Then after all of that, some days in the week, I had to go to my job until 10-11pm. There were many times where I wanted to give up, on art school, being an artist, having a job, everything. I was sick of my own life when everything I loved felt corrupted. Every break when the work dies down and the world gets a little less noisy, I love to finally work on a personal art piece. It's so refreshing to be able to have fun and forget about the seriousness of life. This piece was made in the summer of 2025. I remember smiling so hard making this piece. Giggling whenever I painted a part exactly how I imagined and sweating whenever I was working on a hard technique. For example, when I decided to do something interesting and reflect my face into the syrup. I was faced with the challenge of how to make it look reflective. It took some trial runs but when I did the final work, I felt so accomplished. I created this art based on many memories of Saturday breakfast with my family. Everything about this piece made me happy. The meaning, the memory, sketching it, painting it. It reminded me why I love to make art and why it still matters. So this piece is a reminder to why I need to continue following my passion. Even when I experience burn out and lack of ideas, I know that I have something special that I need to continue to push and grow in and I can't wait to see what I do next.

It was always embarrassing to talk about my father. I still haven't found a good answer for the dreaded question, "What about your dad?" I feel like people think I'm lying whenever I give them my usual answer. "He's around. He just lives farther away" In other words, he went to the store to get milk and didn't know how to come back. He just doesn't know how to be a dad. He doesn't know how to show up, how to be honest, how to take accountability, and how to show real love. He just exists to me but that's exactly why I see my mom as the greatest, strongest human being on earth. She doesn't just exist, she makes a mark. My mom is a black single mother who started her own business doing what she loves and still makes time for me. She has never let anything get in between her and seeing me grow. She doesn't need a man to keep her afloat, she's been out the water and is now driving the boat. She's taught me that I don't need my dad to make it far. She is confident, independent, and has an amazing sense of self worth. It's funny because I'm the exact opposite of her. I'm shy, dependent, anxious, and have a warped sense of self worth. I inspire to be more like her, specifically being more confident and loving of my identity. I have practiced being proud of my identity by expressing it vocally to anyone around me regardless of what they might think. I am sensitive, awkward and never know how to start a conversation but that's what makes me interesting. I want to go through life being loud and authentically me, just like my mom does.