Have you ever created something that you were proud of? There are a few projects that I was passionate about while working on them. Two specific ones would be creating illustrations for a children’s book and designing a thank you card for my dad’s business. I did both projects on my iPad, which helped me discover my love for digital design. I was proud of these projects because I spent hours perfecting and making them right. I am a perfectionist, so projects take me an extra amount of time to finish. However, with technology, I can finish things quicker and easier. I am given much more options in tools, colors, and sizes, and I don't have to spend a lot of money trying to find the right materials. Art is also a way that I take time for myself because it is so enjoyable and relaxing. I am easily able to take my iPad anywhere and sketch something out. Technology truly has inspired me to create more, and it has given me so many opportunities that I was unable to before. When I was a kid, I loved to make PowerPoints and Prezis because I thought it was so fun. I genuinely enjoyed book projects because I was able to make something for them. Sometimes, I would make PowerPoints and Prezis for fun and show them to my parents. I have always loved creating things digitally, and it is so wonderful because there are so many opportunities for that in this day of age. I want to become a digital artist/designer and create websites, logos, etc. Without technology, I wouldn’t be able to do that. Working in technology inspires me because I could work and have my dream job while still caring for my family and raising kids. I am 21, married, and we have a daughter. She is seven months old, and we want a big family. My dream job, as stated before, is a digital designer because I love to create, and I love art. With digital design, I could still do that at home. We are so lucky to live in a world that has technology because it gives us so many opportunities. I am currently attending school online, and when I’m done, I’ll either get a job remotely or become a freelancer and hopefully make a name for myself. I want to better my life, and I want to better my family’s life. I want to show my kids that they can achieve anything if they work at it. If you use what’s been given to you, you can do anything. I am very thankful for all of the opportunities given to me and thankful to have technology so I can complete so many of my dreams. I would have never thought I could be a stay-at-home mom and still have my dream job. I just need to get the funding to finish school and work hard while still young.

Having a career in STEM would be life changing for my family and I. I am working on going to school to major in digital media, and with my degree and getting a job in digital media, I could help support my family while still being a mom. With a STEM career, I would be able to work from home and be there for every moment with my kids. I have one daughter so far, and I continued online school even when I was about to give birth and have a newborn. I think that technology has given us the freedom to pursue many of our passions, because we are able to work or study online, and have lives at home still. Without a career in STEM, which again is something I could do at home, I don’t think I’d really be able to work while being a stay at home mom. Two of my passions are to stay at home with my kids and watch them grow up, and create art and something that will matter to others. That is why digital media is so fascinating to me. I am still able to be creative and make original things, but it can be used for more than one purpose. I could create logos, websites, graphics, and so much more that could help other people further their business. I can’t imagine a better job. Currently, my husband is the one who works while I go to school and take care of household duties. We have a lot of big dreams and ideas, especially for when we have more kids, and me having a STEM career could help us reach so many of our goals. It is obviously hard living on one income, but it would be nearly impossible for me to take care of our daughter, work, and go to school full time. However, school is expensive and that’s even becoming a question if I’ll be able to go or not. If I were just able to finish school and get my dream career, it would change so many things for us and give us so many options. I also want to show my kids that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. STEM is a more male-driven job, and I think that’s because so many women stay at home to take care of their kids and be home-keepers. With where we’re at though, it is possible to do both now. It is my dream to show my kids that you can make both family and a career a priority. I don’t have to miss out on moments because I have a job, I’ll be able to be there for everything. And that is why having a career in STEM would be so life-changing for me.

I dream to be a good mom and wife; to have a big family, to raise them to love others, and show them that they can do anything if they put their minds to it.

I have always been a creative person, and I have done art, choir, and musical theater, and now I am pursuing digital art. As a kid, I used to love to make my friends and family cards for their birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc. I would draw them pretty pictures and give them to them. I am a natural gift-giver, so it was also a way for me to express my love. When I got older, I learned how to make paper boats. I used to make them all the time, and it is something I still look back on fondly. We have a little pond at our church, and my teacher taught me how to make these paper boats and we'd put them in the pond, and see how far they could float. We would decorate them with pretty colors and flags, and one time I decided to cover them in packing tape to see if it would become waterproof. Unfortunately, it just made it too heavy and sunk. I did art club in Elementary and Middle School with the most terrific art teacher. In middle school, I moved away from art and got into Choir. I loved Choir, I always loved singing as well, so it was fun for me. When I was little, I used to love singing while we played Rock Band as a family. In High School, I did choir and musical theater as a freshman. I was a very hardcore student, so the majority of my classes were AP or advanced classes, and I didn't have too much time for electives the year after. Junior year, I tried to get into choir again, but my AP class schedule got in the way and I was put into an art class instead. I hadn't taken art for years, and I was pretty disappointed. However, I think it was one of the best things that happened to me. It turns out, I am pretty talented, and my skills flourished in that class. I had an amazing teacher who encouraged me and helped me with everything. I learned so much, and I rediscovered my love for art. I took art classes during my senior year, and my freshman year of college, and now I'm majoring in digital art. I still like to gift my pieces to others that are usually everything I create. I'm hoping to become a digital artist and to make things that impact others. I also want to open my shop and do art for a living, since I love it so much. It is something I could do at home since I am a stay-at-home mom, and I could show my kids that if you work at something you can love, you can achieve anything. So I've had a long journey with the arts, and I truly don't think I'd be the same person I am without that journey.

My favorite song from Taylor Swift's '1989' album is Blank Space. Blank Space has a lot of good memories for me. '1989' came out when I was in 7th grade. I went over to a friend's house for her birthday and there were 5 of us celebrating her. It was one of my first sleepovers with multiple people and where I stayed up extra late. As middle school girls are, we got into a silly, fun mood, and decided we wanted to create a music video using the app Video Star. We probably spent at least 5 hours making this music video. We each took turns lip-syncing to different parts of the song and made a music video. We were very proud of it and I remember showing it to everyone I knew. When 'Blank Space' comes on the radio or when I hear it in stores and I'm with my mom, she asks if it makes me think of my old friends and that night. It was so memorable, that even my mom still asks me about it. Unfortunately, my friends and I grew apart, but that is a memory that will always be fond to me. I still have that video on my phone, and the video quality is so horrible. It's crazy how much technology has changed since 2014. Sometimes, I'll go back and watch it, and it is so cringy. As a 7th grader, I was extremely cringy. But it is so cute. It's cute that we made the video, and that we stuck to it to make the whole video. We videoed until 3 in the morning, went to bed, then woke up, went to the park, and finished it. I honestly will never forget that memory. Now, I'm 21, married, and have a daughter. I still sing along to Taylor Swift's songs, and I hope that my daughter enjoys music as much as I do. Taylor Swift got me through a lot of middle school and early high school. One time, we drove to Georgia (and I live in AZ), and I made my family (my mom, dad, grandma, and 2 brothers at the time), listen to my playlist and it had a lot of Taylor Swift on it. It isn't from '1989', but it was 'You Belong with Me' and my grandma still tells me that when she hears that song, she thinks of me and the million times we listened to it. That was when I was in 5th grade, so I've been listening to Taylor Swift for a long time. Taylor Swift's albums and music really impacted me and have truly made some wonderful memories I can look back on.

Some things that make me unique to my generation are that I’m 21, I’m married, and I have a baby. I’m a stay at home mom and I work hard for my family. I’m constantly going because I’m doing full time school, taking care of my daughter, taking care of my home, and I’m very active and volunteer at church multiple days a week. I like to read and paint, and I enjoy playing board games with my family. I would say that these things are unique because a lot of people my age are still partying in college and trying to figure out what they want in life. While there’s nothing wrong with having different timelines of your life, it is unique to start a family so young. I work hard in school and have a 4.0 gpa. I want to teach my kids that working hard gets you far in life. I am the a first generation college student and a lot of my time is dedicated to school. I even went to school through my pregnancy and when I gave birth to my daughter! I am taking online classes in hopes to be a web or graphic designer. I love art and I have even illustrated a children’s book! I’m planning on giving back to the community by raising good kids that also give back to the community and who care about others. As said previously, I volunteer at church often and am very involved there. I sing in the band, volunteer in youth ministry and the nursery, and help in the food court. I am very passionate about everything I do. I’m also a perfectionist so I try to do everything in my power to make sure my work and what I do is done well. However, when I do my work, I don’t do it to conform to society’s standards, but to show who I am and what I believe. I try to limit my time on social media as much as possible because I believe that it can be toxic and make people believe they’re not worthy because they don’t look a certain way. I also think that it’s a quick way to start comparing yourself to others, when each person should focus on how they can impact others and make the most out of the life that they’re living. Truly, I believe most people are unique in some way, they just have to take the time to see it and not try to conform to society’s standards of fun and perfection.

The everyday world inspires me as an artist because I think that you can find beauty in everything. I especially love to paint people because I think there is a uniqueness to everyone, and my pieces are able to capture an image that brings back memories. I also love to paint sunsets and nature because I think our world is so beautiful. I live in Arizona, so our sunsets are incredible and I try to capture that when I paint. I don’t get to do it as often as I would like, but going outside and painting is probably one of the most peaceful things in the world. Over quarantine in 2020, one of my favorite things to do was to go outside and paint. It was calming and helped me relax in a stressful time. A memory that I remember distinctly is sitting by my window while it was raining, with my hot cup of coffee, painting in my quiet house because it was still early. It’s the kind of memory you read about in books. I love to paint and create art, and I love to try to show the beauty of the world and the people who live in it through my art.