Beyond a shadow of a doubt, God is the biggest influence in my life. Beyond influence, He is the one who has guided me, protected me, and provided for me all of my life. Every good thing I have I owe to Him. The most important people in my life to me have all been given to me by God, including my family, friends, and church family. In the darkest times of my life—times of turmoil, depression, and deep loneliness—He has always been there loving me and guiding me back to the safety of His loving arms and the knowledge of who I am in Christ Jesus. All my life, I have been reminded by my mom and dad of how God has given me talent and skill to use for His glory. And I am so thankful for that. Over the past couple of years, God has shown me how my art can be used to spark laughter, happiness, encouragement, contemplation, and emotional expression when words are not enough. In being creative, I get to mirror the creativity of the one who created all things. I have the opportunity to use art as a way of ministering and encouraging, and because I am pursuing a degree in graphic design at UCF (Go Knights! Charge On!) I will be able to meet other people’s design needs and help make their ideas a reality through visual communication. That’s the power of design, visual communication. What I try to bring to the table through design and other art is an attention to detail and craft that prompts the viewer to ponder. Design as a career is based on collaboration. It is a field in which people with knowledge, skill, and passion offer their services to others with passions of their own. It is kindness, understanding, humility, and dedicated effort all on display. Design is empathy. It is a field where we designers must often step into the shoes of others and view the world as they do, exploring new perspectives and treating others with respect regardless of our differences. Design is dialogue. It is the opening of discussions and the sharing of opinions. It is the simplest of details which sparks a much-needed debate and also the grandest of displays which shape our culture and society. Design is important. For all of the reasons listed above, design is a crucial part of human existence. Because of this, we designers must approach our craft, our art, and our livelihoods ethically. The world needs designers who are selfless but not naïve. Artists who create to benefit society and not just themselves. Creative-minded individuals working to add beauty to everyday life and to help people appreciate the beauty of the world God has made. This is the designer I strive to be. I want to be a light for Christ in this world, to use the talents He has given me to reflect His love and glory to others who desperately need to know how much He loves them. I want to thank everyone in charge for creating this opportunity to benefit a minority arts student. It is a wonderful opportunity, especially in an academic area so overlooked but so necessary. Even if I am not chosen as the finalist, it makes me happy to know that there are selfless people looking to help others receive an arts education. I pray that the finalist is tremendously blessed and that they are able to use their art to glorify God. Thank you all once again, and God bless.