We grew up with a single mom. As the eldest brother, Raymond took on a paternal role for me. Even as a teenager, he held the qualities of parent. He'd wake up early in the mornings to walk me to school. While my mom was away at work, he'd break up the quarrels I had with my other siblings, and he always made sure we ate. Everyday, he cooked dinner. He held other qualities leaning more towards the teenager he was. His sharp tongue always had something to say, he had an opinion on everything. He could argue with anyone about anything, he would get incredibly amped up. And, he had his fair share of mental health issues. I think it's good to remember all sides of him. Especially since it makes me feel less alone in my own mental health problems. His educational passion was to go to culinary school. He held many other passions, like drawing. Every time I came home from school with a scratched up paper full of color, he'd praise me and tell me to keep going. So I did. Even after he passed from an asthma attack, I kept drawing. Inside his casket there is a folded-up paper full of my scribbles. Because of this, I hold a great drive to keep going. Throughout the months of pure grief and the years of aching grief, I continued to draw. Losing someone while you're still in grade school is confusing and heartbreaking at the same time. A child's mind isn't developed enough to process the end of someone's life. Yet, I believe my passion has kept me afloat through his death, and the time following. Now that I am older than he will ever be, I have decided to pursue my own higher education. Ultimately, I aim to complete my bachelor's in Communication Design and master's in Human-Computer Interaction. In doing so, I aim to affect the world by using technology and art as a tool to spread skills and knowledge. My plan in the digital world is to design greater accessibility for the disabled, elderly, and impoverished communities through phone apps and websites. I want to make and host websites that display readily available and easy-to-access resources, worldwide and locally. Beyond that, I want to work alongside nonprofits to help my local low-income community. I imagine setting up art explaining our local ecosystem in community centers, or an engaging graphic detailing the importance of throwing away trash to children playing in our parks. Mainly, I plan to work with people who struggle with mental health, as that subject is very close to home for me. My family struggled after my brother passed away, and we didn't seek out any help because we weren't sure how to. I want to make sure people can find these resources quickly and efficiently. These plans drive me to work endlessly to create designs that can serve as a foundation for simplicity and connection, driving social change and knowledge.

My youth was characterized by uncertainty and grief. The last thing on my mind was my future. Instead, I focused on the little things, like making friendship bracelets for my mom and sister or drawing anti-bullying posters for school. Yet, what I didn't realize is that those little things made a monumental impact. I've come to realize my ideal career is helping the people around me, or at the very least easing and informing them through the power of art and design. At first, I hid in my art. I refused to show myself to the world, so I found solace in my artwork. Yet, through my hobby, I was able to connect with other LGBTQ+ people. Other people felt spoken to through my work and reached out to me. First, it was online, then in real life. Here, with these people, I could freely be myself. With their help, I managed to ground myself back to reality. I knew now that I wasn't someone shameful, but instead, someone who had just gone through a lot. With time, my family has come around to my identity, and my relationship with them is stronger than it has ever been. The grace period between my family's acceptance was incredibly hard, yet having my queer friends support me through it meant everything to me. I decided on a Communication Design Bachelor’s program because it teaches a broad number of skills for different careers, ranging from product design to UX design. While I first started my degree with an artistic vision in mind, I quickly came to realize I could genuinely help shape and change our society. It fills me with excitement to be able to help those around me and beyond. Ultimately, I aim to complete my bachelor's in Communication Design and master's in Human-Computer Interaction. In doing so, I will work in the UX design field. I will help affect the world by using technology and art as a tool to spread skills and knowledge. My plan in the digital world is to design greater accessibility for the disabled, elderly, and impoverished communities through phone apps and websites. I want to make and host websites that display readily available and easy-to-access resources, worldwide and locally. Beyond that, I want to work alongside nonprofits to help my local low-income community. I imagine setting up art explaining our local ecosystem in community centers, or an engaging graphic detailing the importance of throwing away trash to children playing in our parks. Mainly, I plan to work with people who are queer and/or struggle with mental health, as these subjects are very close to home for me. My family struggled after my brother passed away, and we didn't seek out any help because we weren't sure how to. I want to make sure people can find these resources quickly and efficiently. For example, I want to create a phone widget that contains suicide hotlines and mental health phone numbers across all phones. These plans drive me to work endlessly to create designs that can serve as a foundation for simplicity and connection, driving social change and knowledge.

My youth was characterized by uncertainty and grief. The last thing on my mind was my future. Instead, I focused on the little things, like making friendship bracelets for my mom and sister or drawing anti-bullying posters for school. Yet, what I didn't realize is that those little things made a monumental impact. I've come to realize my ideal career is helping the people around me, or at the very least easing and informing their minds through the power of art and design. As a native of Texas, I wish to stay in-state so that I can make local career connections. In doing so, I can stay within my community and give back once I graduate. I decided on a Communication Design Bachelor’s program because it teaches a broad number of skills for different careers, ranging from product design to UX design. Currently, I am already making connections through my professors and peers in the same program. While I first started my degree with an artistic vision in mind, I quickly came to realize I could genuinely help shape and change our society. It fills me with excitement to be able to help those around me and beyond. Ultimately, I aim to complete my bachelor's in Communication Design and master's in Human-Computer Interaction. In doing so, I will work in the UX design field. I will help affect the world by using technology and art as a tool to spread skills and knowledge. My plan in the digital world is to design greater accessibility for the disabled, elderly, and impoverished communities through phone apps and websites. I want to make and host websites that display readily available and easy-to-access resources, worldwide and locally. Beyond that, I want to work alongside nonprofits to help my local low-income community. I imagine setting up art explaining our local ecosystem in community centers, or an engaging graphic detailing the importance of throwing away trash to children playing in our parks. Mainly, I plan to work with people who struggle with mental health, as that subject is very close to home for me. My family struggled after my brother passed away, and we didn't seek out any help because we weren't sure how to. I want to make sure people can find these resources quickly and efficiently. For example, I want to create a phone widget that contains suicide hotlines and mental health phone numbers across all phones. These plans drive me to work endlessly to create designs that can serve as a foundation for simplicity and connection, driving social change and knowledge.

At the turn of my puberty, I decided my existence wasn't necessary. It was even a burden at times. At that same time, I realized I was transgender. Puberty is an uncomfortable experience at the best of times, but for me, it was horrifying. I felt my body was growing into something alien and wrong. Thanks to the internet, I found the terms needed to explain how I felt. I expressed myself to my family, and I was quickly shunned and mocked for it. My family had been my rock, and their response had nearly destroyed me. However, I don't wholly blame my family for their reaction. My home has been wrecked by untreated mental health issues, and I am a prime example of that. There were many times I argued with school counselors and administrators who were just trying to help. Eventually, I got kicked out of school for skipping too much. During that time, I was committed to a behavioral hospital twice. There, I saw others like me. Other LGBT people who struggled with their family's lack of acceptance. Our connection, however brief, was impactful. Once I left the hospital, I was back in the real world. Where the people around me lived moderately average lives that I had a hard time relating to. My friends weren't binding their chests past the point of pain just to feel closer to what they really were. It's incredibly ostracizing to not be able to do the things my peers do because of my depression and anxiety. Not only that, but secretly existing as a transgender person is tiring and doubly isolating. I shied away from sleepovers and hangouts which made my loneliness worse. I talked myself into thinking I needed to hide myself as much as possible. Slowly, I faded away from a person to a ghost. Floating around, hoping no one would notice me. I hid in my art. I refused to show myself to the world, so I found solace in my artwork. Yet, through my hobby, I was able to connect with others like me. Other people felt spoken to through my work and reached out to me. First, it was online, then in real life. Here, with these people, I could freely be myself. With their help, I managed to ground myself back to reality. I knew now that I wasn't someone shameful, but instead someone who has just went through a lot. With time, my family has come around to my identity, and my relationship with them is stronger than it has ever been. Most importantly, I am the most confident I have ever felt in my entire life. I have started Hormone Replacement Therapy, and I dress however I please. I've come to realize if you respect yourself, others will respect you as well. Although I have struggled, I feel so much stronger for it. Currently, I am in college, and I'm excelling when in my past schooling I had not. I feel like I have been given a second try at my life. A second try to succeed, to form relationships, to feel happy. I will not squander this opportunity.

My youth was characterized by uncertainty and grief. The last thing on my mind was my future. Instead, I focused on the little things, like making friendship bracelets for my mom and sister or drawing anti-bullying posters for school. Yet, what I didn't realize is that those little things made a monumental impact. I've come to realize my ideal career is helping the people around me, or at the very least easing and informing their minds through the power of art and design. As a native of Texas, I wish to stay in-state so that I can make local career connections. In doing so, I can stay within my community and give back once I graduate. To begin, I aim to complete my associates in Digital Media at the Alamo Colleges. After completion, I decided on a Communication Design Bachelor’s program because it teaches a broad number of skills for different careers, ranging from product design to UX design. Currently, I am already making connections through my professors and peers in the same program. While I first started my degree with an artistic vision in mind, I quickly came to realize I could genuinely help shape and change our society. It fills me with excitement to be able to help those around me and beyond. Ultimately, I aim to complete my bachelor's in Communication Design and master's in Human-Computer Interaction. In doing so, I will work in the UX design field. I will help affect the world by using technology and art as a tool to spread skills and knowledge. My plan in the digital world is to design greater accessibility for the disabled, elderly, and impoverished communities through phone apps and websites. I want to make and host websites that display readily available and easy-to-access resources, worldwide and locally. Beyond that, I want to work alongside nonprofits to help my local low-income community. I imagine setting up art explaining our local ecosystem in community centers, or an engaging graphic detailing the importance of throwing away trash to children playing in our parks. Mainly, I plan to work with people who struggle with mental health, as that subject is very close to home for me. My family struggled after my brother passed away, and we didn't seek out any help because we weren't sure how to. I want to make sure people can find these resources quickly and efficiently. For example, I want to create a phone widget that contains suicide hotlines and mental health phone numbers across all phones. These plans drive me to work endlessly to create designs that can serve as a foundation for simplicity and connection, driving social change and knowledge.