Hi! My name is Laia Torres and I am a student at Sacramento State University. I am majoring in Studio Art with a focus on Digital Media. So far, I have published my artwork in galleries, clothing, and websites. I have worked closely with named artists in North America. I'm pursuing a career in entertainment for the audience. The things that the audience has not seen will be shown through me. I create content that speaks further than the mind can wander or comprehend.

I am a student at Sacramento State University majoring in Studio Art with a focus on New Media. Full-time student creating in the studio and working two part-time jobs. I spread the word about art events like Doodle Art. I create in my spare time and for assignments. I have moved my entire life and have been grateful enough to bring my materials with me. I work with many media including digital, paper, graphite, mixed media, acrylic, oil, clay, etc. What is most important to me is spreading the messages that I feel the need to express through my work. Whether I am expressing an emotional stage, a political outburst, or a seeming interest in a person. I come from an immigrant family who has valued art for generations. I resonate with art in every way. Art is everywhere. As an immigrant family, my family is the first to come to America. My sister and I are the first to come to school in America. I am the first in my family to get a higher education in America. I want younger children to be inspired by my story and have hope for themselves. I want to be able to love children who are first-generation students. I want to be able to experience the liveliness and spread positivity to my community. My father who has been deported for ten years has struggled to come into the country. It is now time for his very important meeting and we are crossing our fingers that he is able to come into the country. My father and I have brainstormed ideas to help those in need. To allow others to be seen by other immigrant people around them. Growing up I did not have a YouTuber that came from a similar background to me. Until I create the change where conversations are spoken about. I want to be able to spread the word of many. Because my family is the first, we have struggled with low income and had rented out apartments my entire life. My family could no longer support me so they spent their last pennies trying to get me to support myself. We are not the family that has had our grandparents start life during the 60s and were able to purchase a home. We did not have a home or someone to live with. We did not have investments or stocks. My parents spent their last pennies on my United States Residency application. After some time I was submitted into the process and approves. I immediately started working to begin my own life. My parents could not afford to have me in America. They had a home for me in Mexico but I did not want to change my life or educational opportunities. I knew that staying in America would be my ultimate goal. I worked and worked until I could afford to pay my rent month to month. My parents had a huge decline financially and I had depended on scrapping food and dividing it throughout the month. I am now a full-time student at Sacramento State working two part-time jobs. My father and I would like to create a YouTube channel to talk about conversations to the public and share our story in hope that other families, children, and adults, are able to feel welcomed into the space. No one is truly alone in the immigration process and I would like to make others feel that I too have experienced similar struggles.

I am a student at Sacramento State University. A first-time generational student. I have volunteered in my community because I believe it is important to seed and care for people in need. We cannot do it alone. Supporting churches, fundraisers, and doctors. Fundraisers for those with Leukemia, Mental Health, providing a holiday experience to children, and adults. This Scholarship would allow me to help pay rent as I am working two jobs and am a full-time student with no parental help. As an immigrant family, my family is the first to come to America. My sister and I are the first to come to school in America. I am the first in my family to get a higher education in America. I want younger children to be inspired by my story and have hope for themselves. I want to be able to love children who are first-generation students. I want to be able to experience the liveliness and spread positivity to my community. My father who has been deported for ten years has struggled to come into the country. It is now time for his very important meeting and we are crossing our fingers that he is able to come into the country. My father and I have brainstormed ideas to help those in need. To allow others to be seen by other immigrant people around them. Growing up I did not have a YouTuber that came from a similar background to me. Until I create the change where conversations are spoken about. I want to be able to spread the word of many. Because my family is the first, we have struggled with low income and had rented out apartments my entire life. My family could no longer support me so they spent their last pennies trying to get me to support myself. We are not the family that has had our grandparents start life during the 60s and were able to purchase a home. We did not have a home or someone to live with. We did not have investments or stocks. My parents spent their last pennies on my United States Residency application. After some time I was submitted into the process and approves. I immediately started working to begin my own life. My parents could not afford to have me in America. They had a home for me in Mexico but I did not want to change my life or educational opportunities. I knew that staying in America would be my ultimate goal. I worked and worked until I could afford to pay my rent month to month. My parents had a huge decline financially and I had depended on scrapping food and dividing it throughout the month. I am now a full-time student at Sacramento State working two part-time jobs. My father and I would like to create a YouTube channel to talk about conversations to the public and share our story in hope that other families, children, and adults, are able to feel welcomed into the space. No one is truly alone in the immigration process and I would like to make others feel that I too have experienced similar struggles.

As an immigrant family, my family is the first to come to America. My sister and I are the first to come to school in America. I am the first in my family to get a higher education in America. I want younger children to be inspired by my story and have hope for themselves. I want to be able to love children who are first-generation students. I want to be able to experience the liveliness and spread positivity to my community. My father who has been deported for ten years has struggled to come into the country. It is now time for his very important meeting and we are crossing our fingers that he is able to come into the country. My father and I have brainstormed ideas to help those in need. To allow others to be seen by other immigrant people around them. Growing up I did not have a YouTuber that came from a similar background to me. Until I create the change where conversations are spoken about. I want to be able to spread the word of many. Because my family is the first, we have struggled with low income and had rented out apartments my entire life. My family could no longer support me so they spent their last pennies trying to get me to support myself. We are not the family that has had our grandparents start life during the 60s and were able to purchase a home. We did not have a home or someone to live with. We did not have investments or stocks. My parents spent their last pennies on my United States Residency application. After some time I was submitted into the process and approves. I immediately started working to begin my own life. My parents could not afford to have me in America. They had a home for me in Mexico but I did not want to change my life or educational opportunities. I knew that staying in America would be my ultimate goal. I worked and worked until I could afford to pay my rent month to month. My parents had a huge decline financially and I had depended on scrapping food and dividing it throughout the month. I am now a full-time student at Sacramento State working two part-time jobs. My father and I would like to create a YouTube channel to talk about conversations to the public and share our story in hope that other families, children, and adults, are able to feel welcomed into the space. No one is truly alone in the immigration process and I would like to make others feel that I too have experienced similar struggles.

I want to pay forward and apologize for your loss. May she rest in peace. As a first generation student who comes from an immigrant background I have struggled in education. Throughout pre-k to 12th grade I had forcefully been told to take ESL just because I spoke Spanish as my second language. Being spoken to like a child who just came to the country pre kindergarten through my senior year of high school was not only uncomfortable but wrong. I speak fluent English and Spanish and should not have had to take ESL. It took me out of my grade classes that were unacceptable to miss. Coming to a country where my opportunities are different than my white friends can start to come into compare as I got older. I could not work to support my local income household. I had no way of saving money to afford future expenses. Going to get an education was also difficult since I could not apply for all kinds of scholarships. I was told to go to an immigrant meeting at my school that only terrified me more of being an immigrant in this country. Seeing my father being deported out of the country for ten years was also a huge impact on my life.

With an upcoming educational change in my life I plan to collect information about my new area in Sacramento, California. I enjoy creating current problem artwork to help create a space for uplifting many cultures and backgrounds. As a Hispanic immigrant now American resident I am proud to have a supporting family who fights for equal human rights. With my work, I speak upon mental health, culture, and the abstract that attracts many. Color is important to me when creating a piece. I want to continue being able to connect with my communities.

No one said it was easy to check up on others. False, it takes a few seconds to reach out and give elderly people a call. After all, the history implanted in today’s history is within their voices, hands and feet. Many of the elderly have experienced traumatic wars and violence of all kinds throughout the country, and outside of the country. Something I do personally to improve the lives of elderly in my community is help them out when I see they are in need to reaching something at the grocery store. If I walking through my neighborhood and get stopped by them because they have a question. I stay. I make sure they are listened to and cared for. Most of the elderly people do not have anyone at home with them that are willing to listen to their stories, people stay away from the elderly because their social cues are different, they speak slower, and they talk for a long time. Though this might be true, they are people who lived long lives and are just spreading wisdom of some kind to help younger people. They advice to that mistakes aren’t repeated. Personally, I try my best to help the elderly in every way possible, hearing their stories when they are feeling well, asking them questions so they practice strategic cognitive skills, allow them to go first in line etc…

Through my mentorship I hope to impact young ones who are of the upcoming generation. As I practice and handle the needs of others. I hope to focus on my own career and path. To what I am destined to do. Learning objectives to be efficient and most productive to my work. During this process there should be challenged that can be finished with brainstorming and idealizing solutions on the way. With all of this, I hope to impact the people around me who understand the projects and who are willing to learn as much as I am. Creating this environment will not only gain experience to individual but it will also build a type of confidence to self express. It is an opportunity that many will want to join in on solely based on the safe zones provided within the space. To an understanding, achieving this would impact many lives.

I mostly value my creativity when it comes to my every day decisions. Creative with my kindness, schoolwork, patience with myself and others. I value this within myself because I find myself thanking me for new outlooks and an open mind. A new point of view helps me appreciate people’s feelings and concerns to topics. Whether it is my professors, classmates, family or friends, I tend to conversaré creatively with opening conversations that should be welcomed. Mental health is very important to me. Speaking about topics like these are very important to speak about whether they are vague or in detail. I tend to learn much from my peers and take in consideration their points of views as I share my point. Each one of us experiences differently which reflects to our opinions and feelings towards topics. Being surrounded by people who you are comfortable sharing information with is always welcomed and judge-free in my space. I want to keep expressing that healthy environment for myself and others. This quality will eventually help me in my life because it will slow me to respect others opinions while not always agreeing I can value their morals due to their own experiences. This i believe can be used for each and every situation out there. This character tic of mine is still in practice. I enjoying growing in this way. Though I am not perfect and do make mistakes, I am now to say I enjoy hearing other perspectives and putting myself in different shoes. It’s not always about what I think or believe. I can hear sometime else and be open minded about where they’re coming from.

Susan B. Anthony is one of the most powerful and important women activists from history. Women are able to vote today because of women like Susan. I admire her boldness because she looked out for make drunkenness (which is one of the reasons why she wanted women to vote… to vote out liquor from the violence women and children received from men). As a child who knows a drunken father, I respect her courage in fighting for change. I aspire to carry her boldness and make change within my community with other factors like mental health and progressive thinking.it is important to view issues in the world that impact communities, and neighborhoods. Without a strong voice being spoken, there is no starting point for change. Susan B. Anthony engaged in campaigns to help marriages and believed in African American voting for men and women. She had the mindset of the twentieth century.

Most things aren’t read easily through paintings ,sketches or sculptures. In my work I find people questioning and carrying curiosity. This is exactly how it should be. A work of art should have your audience questioning. This passions me to continue creating art because I am able to tell my audience a story but also leave them curiosity to create their own story. I want nothing more but to continue my art career and to work with a collaborative team and develop ideas. Ideas that help people who learn visually. Who see a work of art and feel emotion through it. To make them experience through their eyes. Targeting audiences so that they feel without hearing audio. What do you feel? Why do you feel that? What experience in your life makes you feel this in present day? Questions is what I want. Answers I’ll give in time, that being said, this scholarship would allow me to put it towards college tuition. I would feel on top of the world if I was able to transfer to a university and learn more artistic techniques and develop my work. Practice by great professors will help me continue finding my voice. It would be an honor to have this opportunity. I try to apply to as many scholarships as possible to achieve this dream do mine. Unfortunately, so many students apply because of costs but I am optimistic about my future and keep trying. There’s no giving up and the only potential one can have is within. How far will you push yourself? Through the pain and difficult late night homework. Even on tough days. I can only say so much about myself in words but I am confident that I can overcome and complete any task given to me. I am this way because I am to intrigued in the idea of challenging myself and growing and learning this way. I appreciate your time, thank you to whom this may concern to. -Laia Torres

It’s not what you’re thinking. Performing arts has touched my life in ways that have helped me come out of breakthroughs with my mental health. Every since I began with performing arts, I have been able to express my feelings with a role that was free from expression. I never realized that this would have such an impact in my life until 2018. That year, I went through a mental statue that almost made me lose my life. I put a pause on dwelling all day long and started to pick up the arts. The arts have allowed me to express my inner emotions, battles, and struggles. Because of this I am the person I am today. I am now able to express myself freely. No one is perfect so of course I still have the little critters in my mind creeping up telling me things aren’t perfect in my work. Practice will always determine the growth of my future.

The loss of a close one has deeply affected my focus in life because every day I would call them and tell them to have a good day. Now I don't get to do that anymore. I used to tell them how proud I was of them and they would tell me but now all I feel is a setback. I slacked in school and now I am worried about how I am going to proceed with my education. I do not have the funds for it and I would really appreciate this help because I know that my self-dedication and self-drive is something that has never stopped me from overcoming. Art is something we both connected on, we both enjoyed each other's artwork and now it is not the same. I find myself looking at my old artworks and only hearing her comments. I loved the comments, they helped me become a better artist. When I heard that they were no longer in life, I felt numb. I cried and became hysterical after days. I could not believe it. I needed them. I am a student majoring in studio art that hopes to become an art director. I am hoping to attend to a university in Los Angeles. I hope to finish my education. I am the hardest working person I know when it comes to my education. I have such dedication. I never give up until I learn something completely. I want to prove to the rest of the people who did not believe in me that I can accomplish this degree and become what I said I would. I want to become an art director because I am all about creating a picture and putting it together for an audience. The appeal to attraction. I want people to be around my artwork and feel comfortable enough to express their own in the midst of my own. I want to fight for his dream of mine. I want to fight through the grieving process and know that I can rise up and do it for them and myself. As an honor to myself and everything, I have gone through.

Hello! With no-code, I will be able to create ideas into platforms that can help our community have a better welcoming understanding of ourselves. With no-code, I will use my artistic abilities and help create illustrations with empowering messages and fun colors. I have already worked with companies and businesses to help them.

Over my eighteen years of living on Earth, I have experienced troubling moments with anxiety and depression that have helped me grow. When I was thirteen, I had been scared to death because I knew my thoughts and actions became different. I did not know what anxiety meant or if I even had it. After a couple of panic attacks and suicidal thoughts, I talked to my mother about my concerns. Talking with my other was not an easy thing to do because we never were the kind of family to open up and share personal feelings or to hug if the other was crying. My mother was very comforting when I told her and I was surprised. Weeks later I attended my very first therapist meeting. I lied about situations because I did not want to trust a stranger with my deepest darkest life moments. Halfway through our meetings, I opened up and told her the truth. She was not angry at me but she was disappointed because my progress could have been better. After moving for the twenty-second time with my family, I cried out of joy because she had helped me realize so much about myself and my childhood. I never realized that I even had trauma or that life moments were not normal to happen. After this moment, I had been so happy to move forward in my life. I became so empathetic towards others with anxiety. I even shared my tips and tricks that my therapists shared with me to help others. I explained to my mother some tips that could help her. When I spoke with my mom about panic attacks and explained them, she had told me that she had them too. he did not know what anxiety or depression was. Then my mom got medication afterwards yet kept a secret from her mother/my grandmother. I felt so relieved and was so grateful that I had done something for myself to escape a deep hole. I no longer hated my life or thought about decisions every day. I started to enjoy my everyday life and take it all in. I started to lower my anxiety over time and remembered that the scary, overwhelming, anxious, quick thoughts were not facts! They were just thoughts, and they should come and go. They are not a part of who I am as a person. I have grown so much because of my therapists. Thanks to her she has helped me become a better person for myself and the people with mental illnesses. Thank you, Laia

When I was thirteen years old, I lived with my sister in Washington state. During this time my parents worked all day long and were wanting to move. As a kid, we always moved around. Twenty-three times to be exact. Before moving to my sister's house, I went through losing who I thought were my siblings. We had lost them all due to their haunted mother and I became very very depressed. At the time I also reached out to the wrong things that triggered my nervous system and my anxiety crept up. I thought I was actually crazy for feeling depersonalization, a term that I later understood. Music was the only thing I could listen t that would make me feel heard. Music was the thing that understood me most. It takes the words right out of my mouth. Surprisingly enough they were exact. I picked up Billie Eilish when I was moving in with my sister and blasted her music for about an hour in the shower. Sometimes I would just get an enormous headache from the hot water and not care enough to stop singing my heart out with hot water on me. When the water became cold, then I would step out of the shower(super dizzy) and lay on the floor. True story. When my sister was not working in the mornings, she would yell at me to get out of the shower because I had been in there for too long. I never listened. I now understand the meaning of a water and electricity bill. Billie would give me so many feelings. I would feel almost understood by her. she knew exactly how I felt without me ever being able to express it. Billie comforted me because for once, someone asked how I was truly feeling and talk to me almost as if she was giving me a hug. My anxiety that I did not know what anxiety even was at the time started to make me feel like I was going to die. Like my brain was rotting and I was going to live with a terrifying mental illness. I knew I was not the same. I prayed and prayed to God that I would be the same. Later I found out that music was the passion I had been holding onto to keep me sane. Without it, I would have gone a little crazier. In my alone times, I would write my own lyrics and practice them for hours every day after school. They were pretty great though I never opened up or followed to share it with people. Then I met my friend Luis, he met me when I was going through my little writer phase. He shared his work with mine and I shared mine with him. I became passionate about writing music ever since that moment. Today, I hope that I could keep being involved with artists that I know because their talents are far beautiful. I hope to create music with my friends and hopefully get out of my comfort zone. To have something replay over and over. I would like to continue creating albums and single covers for them. I have been blessed to have music as a part of my journey because it has helped me survive dark times, and enjoy happy moments.

Music is what keeps me going throughout the day, I could not imagine myself hiking, drawing, studying, or showering without music. It is the background noise that keeps my anxiety low and my oxytocin high. Music helps me feel like a straight-up queen when I am feeling not so queenish. Music has helped me drown myself in my own tears but also has helped me feel on top of the world within myself and with friends. Music has saved awkward situations in my life and has also helped me feel comfortable and confident when being outside on my own. Music in my life has helped me cope with social anxiety. I listen to indie music and pop music, (Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Still Woozy, J.Cole, Mac DeMarco ...etc)

Hello, hope you are having a nice day. Today I will tell you about y biggest influence in my life. I grew up with mixed parents who raised me with conflict of culture. I grew up knowing bits and pieces of both in my life. My biggest influence over the years has been my biological father. Though I have not seen him in years, I still talk to him on the phone. Over these years, I have grown to be an individual that has passed through many events of trauma. My father has encouraged my thinking to have a better and wider understanding of life itself. Though he can only speak of his own life experiences, he and I are very similar to how we are as people. I bond with my father very well because of this. The fact is, my father is much older and daydream less than I do. As an artist himself, he has taught me patience in art, technique, and a deeper understanding of a piece. My artistic skills will help me be innovative by using my knowledge that I have learned over the years from professors and my father in daily activities with my artwork. I will use the knowledge that I have learned and apply it. My artistic skill is different than anything I have seen because I am able to create clear pictures for my audiences yet a mystery to my own mind. I create unconscious pictures. What I mean by "unconscious" is that I only illustrate what I feel is right to illustrate at the moment without any true meaning. At the moment I believe there is no true meaning, then, I find my audiences able to see my feelings without myself coming to a conclusion. Or before posting my artwork I look at it and ask myself "What am I showing here? What do the colors mean? What does the facial expression tell me? What is the abstract meaning? I say very much about myself in my artwork, intentional and unintentional which makes it unique and different from the rest.

As a young child, it was more than just scribbling a Dora picture with a crayon, it was a passionate start to my talent. Art to me has followed through my entire life. Art has been passed down generation after generation. Art drives me because it gives me a new challenge and focuses when I create something I did not already create. In my artwork, each piece is new and different. I never recreate something unless it is for a commission. I am driven to create more and more with acrylic paint, color pencils, and black rolling pens because I can make something from my head come to life! The real physical world is beautiful but with art in it! We as people in a community are able to see inside the minds of people's creativity. I am connected to art because in the darkest moment of my life it has helped me survive the nonverbal pain. I use art to express myself when I feel that words can not express what I am really feeling. There could be ninety-nine people saying " I feel ..." but each person would feel it differently based on their experiences. If they could express it in art, people and (themselves most importantly), would have a clearer "picture" of how they feel. In this way, I feel connected to art because it allows me to really get a sense of how I am reacting to a situation. It helps me understand myself better because most of my artworks are unconsciously done. I plan to study studio art and once I finish my associate's degree at College of the Desert, I would like to transfer to a university in Los Angeles, Long Beach, or San Diego to achieve a bachelor's degree in studio art. Once I achieve that with the help of scholarships, I can be able to look for a job as an art director! My artwork is full of color and fun images that have even helped people understand themselves. My art will change future generations because I will paint a thousand words that everyone seems to be too busy to hear. Jokes. Tough topics will be seen in visual images to help future generations understand the injustice in our world today. Many people like yourself reading this, are done with certain things in this world, I do not blame you. I wish we would realize that the change starts within us, within our communities, our neighborhoods, our own homes. Art is the future!

Hello! My social media name on Instagram is @t0rlaia What makes me proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community is being able to fit in my own body confidently, talk the way I talk, like who I like, walk how I walk, DRESS how I want without feeling uncomfortable. Ever since I came out I have felt more confident in my own skin and with relationships around me.