Growing up in a creative household, I always loved to do art. Drawing on the tables, sketching on paper, painting, or anything related to art, I loved it. My mother always told me that art was very special to her family on both sides. This year, I took AP art as a senior. Inspired by my family's artwork and heritage, I made my portfolio about family history. This year, I have made relationships with people I never thought I'd meet, and learned so much. While researching for my portfolio, I started using ancestry.com. This opened up a whole new realm of ideas for my projects. I told my mom about my theme and asked her for ideas or inspiration. She brought up that her Grandmother, Gemma D'auria, has statues at the Monastery of The Angels in Hollywood. After researching, we found out the monastery would be sold. She contacted the nuns who use the monastery and they confirmed the land was being sold for real estate. My mom was thankful that I asked her about family artwork otherwise she would've never found out. We went on a trip to visit the monastery, it inspired me in many ways. After my grandfather died in 1989, all of his belongings went to a cousin. I was always curious about my grandpa and wanted to know more about him. I asked my mom for my cousin's name out of curiosity and after searching his name, I found my second cousin's phone number online. I messaged the number asking if I had the right person, Eric, and it was. He was thrilled that I contacted him and he had so much to share with me. In January, while in Los Angeles with my mother and sister, we planned a dinner with Eric, his sister Daria, their mother Pam, and Daria's daughter. This was my first time meeting people on that side of the family because of a lost connection. We went through boxes of stuff from our family members, it was a special night that I will forever cherish. Although I never met my grandpa or great-grandma, I feel closer to them. I am so thankful for the information I found about my family history. A special woman I met through a family tree during this process, Corinna, has been a great help. She also started her interest in genealogy at seventeen and is passionate about helping me learn more. Soon, I will be attending Grand Canyon University to major in entrepreneurship. I want to minor in art to learn more and use those skills to apply to my future. Some kids at my school say it's "weird" to do art, I don't let it bother me but there is lots of talent that goes to waste because of judgment by our peers. My art teacher has helped inspire me always, but art is not appreciated where I live. When I tell people I want a career involving art and business, they say "You will not make any money Jackie." Art has become mainly digital, I feel that classic art needs to come back in this next generation. It's something that has been lost and is not as valuable anymore. There is so much creativity and talent in this world that goes unshown. Art is an important talent that not many have, those who want to pursue it should be able to without worrying about a low salary. While I am still unsure of an exact career, I want to help those passionate about art get the recognition they deserve.