Many people would say that the biggest influence in their life was a person, but for me, that isn’t the case. For myself, the biggest influence in my life has been the community I grew up in and the experiences I have had within my community. Due to the community I grew up in, I don’t think I could possibly pick one person who has influenced and inspired me to be where I am today. I grew up in the relatively small town of Sanford in central Florida, the town that's just shy of Orlando that everyone has forgotten. As I had gotten more independent, I learned a lot about the people here, I’ve gotten to recognize faces, and the diversity and uniqueness of this place and its people have influenced me greatly, especially in the nature and delivery of my work. In my work, I focus a lot on individual personalities of characters and environments, similar to the diversity and individuality of this community. I grew up in a very diverse school with a very diverse town and it’s influenced me in ways beyond simply my artwork and has made me more inquisitive and curious about our world itself. When I graduate, I plan to use my artistic skills primarily in an educational setting because I believe that the world needs more artistic influence, especially in the area of Sanford which has very little artwork. I plan to use my artwork to tell the stories of people here, and to remind the world that these small towns that are bright and incredible are still full of life. One of my aspirations is character design and concept work, so I hope to achieve that in this area. Additionally, if given the resources and knowledge, I would like to invest in getting more murals and artwork around the area and help fund artistic programs in local schools since they tend to lack funding. Personally, I believe that my skills are different not only because of my unique understanding and viewpoint of the world, especially being a minority but also because of my experiences in art. For my artwork, I had never received any formal training and have been entirely and enthusiastically self-taught. My skills come from the interests and passion of someone who was once a little girl in Pennsylvania drawing scribbles on yellow lined paper, the 10-year-old who was obsessed with reading Warriors and watching art videos, and the 16-year-old who decided she wanted art to be her career and to begin pursuing character design. My skills come entirely from my passion and my experiences.

My parents moved to Florida when I was around 5 years old for the better opportunities that Florida had, and eventually, we found ourselves in the ever-growing roots of Sanford, where there are plenty of other families and friends who have similar experiences. In my neighborhood are mostly families and older folk, lots of teenagers who go to my school's rivaling school. If you drive a little way down, you can find local-owned restaurants, thrift stores, small businesses, and chains that locals have made their own. There's a store that sells produce, a store that sells soul food, a tire store that needs a good cleaning, a popular gas station, and older houses hidden through the trees. You see abandoned houses, well-loved houses, forgotten houses, broken houses, and occupied houses. You see those who were forgotten on the sides of roads; business professionals walking their way up the streets; golden cars and cars that should be illegal to drive, but are nonetheless holding on. You see the newest residents moving into another cookie-cutter home, and those leaving the home they love the most. Someone just graduated, someone just passed. Drive further and there are the gated communities, those who try not to think they still live here. There's the town hall, the river, the greatest pizza on Earth, a thrift shop you haven't stepped into for so long, and the office of a therapist. You find the library, the post office, another post office, and a mall. The mall is almost forgotten, but you can still find your friends there, we haven't given up on it even though it is the worst; the escalators are always broken, and the air conditioning is probably too expensive to run. It has a small bakery with the best sugar cookies. The people are just as interesting. There's an employee who you've seen since the beginning of your artistic journey, always wishing you the best. You stumble into your friend again, and another friend, who are both so different but are also friends. Lots of people here come from different places, have different faces, and are as interesting as the stories they tell. Someone is a little full of themselves; someone is a little humble. Someone has struggled with homelessness; one is in the best of homes. Someone dresses their best every day, dressed in their cutest clothes; others don't care as much, and some don't have as much of a wardrobe. The guys at my school who look like they are 23, but barely hanging on to 17. Girls with long lashes, embracing their power. The ones we don't know are still deserving of our love. As a mixed, short girl in America, I have never felt alienated in this place. Diverse, as they call it, is what we are. My artwork is inspired by the diversity of where I live. I have been taught that everything is worth appreciating, and appreciating is what I shall do. In my work, I focus on diversity, not just in skin but in quirks and mannerisms and laughter and joy, celebrations and honesty. Uniqueness is the norm here, and therefore my style evolved to be as unique as I am encouraged and loved to be. Unfortunately, in our world, uniqueness and diversity is still not celebrated as much as it should be, as much as we do. In my work, I create a world similar to this, embracing the love that I have for this little slice of normalcy and creating something that everyone can see in themselves and relate to, showing the possibilities.