As a jeweler who was discouraged from studying technology and other scientific and mathematical fields as a child. I am studying computer aided modeling and design at the Tyler School of Art, to bridge the gap between technology and my creative endeavors. By learning programs like Z-Brush and techniques such as 3D Printing, I will become a more well-rounded and dynamic jeweler. In the Fall 2021 semester I will be taking my first CAD-CAM class where I will learn to draw with precision, use coordinate input and merge models to different file formats; create, test, and verify solid models in STL file format for production of rapid prototypes; and render models. I am incredibly excited to diversify my craftsmanship and learn skills in tech while creating beautiful jewelry pieces. As a child I was always told by my parents and teachers that there are two types of people in the world. There are those who are exceptional at math, science, and history, those of which are primarily male, and there are those who are gifted in literature, writing, and the arts, whom are almost always female. Whenever this concept was presented to me, it was usually followed by a summarization of a study that shows that according to neurological testing men use the left side of their brains more while women exercise the right side more. But regardless of whatever misquoted, and half true information was thrown my way rather than feeling informed, I was left feeling cornered and discouraged. Regardless of biological differences men and women should have equal opportunity to explore all areas of study. It did not matter that I had a ‘right brain’ due to my teachers labeling me as such I felt as though I was not allowed to explore certain areas of study because I would automatically be inadequate at them. I continued the rest of my schooling as an artist, a jeweler more specifically. At the age of thirteen I learned how to solder, and I was told by my mentor Beth that soon enough I would be handier with tools than all the boys in my class. For the first time I felt empowered. I was finally allowed to do something that ‘was meant for boys’, using tools. Nine years later I am proud to say that with the incorporation of computer aided modeling in Tyler’s Metals, Jewelry, and CAD CAM degree program, I am finally allowed to be left brained and explore math and science through technology. Being able to learn CAD CAM is not only an incredible opportunity given that most jewelry program at other university’s do not offer those classes but being allowed to explore an area of study in tech is just as empowering as the first time I picked up the soldering iron. I hope to bring my knowledge and technological expertise to a large brand such as Tiffany’s or Cartier after I graduate from Tyler. I want to help innovate their jewelry making practices and have my pieces sold in stores all over the world. And with that reach I hope to educate and open other young girl’s eyes to their potential. I hope to empower young girls in the way I was empowered as a young girl myself by my biggest influence, Beth. Lastly, I hope to become someone that would make my younger self proud by breaking out f the box I was placed into by studying and mastering my craft through technology.

Being an artist, more specifically a jeweler, to me represents my destiny. I truly believe that I was put on this earth to create, and jewelry is my vehicle to express myself and fulfill that destiny. I believe that everything happens for a reason and the best example I can give of this concept in practice is when my mom signed me up for an arts and crafts summer camp when I was nine years old. This summer camp was held by a local jeweler named Beth Judge who taught me and the other campers how to make beads from magazine pages and tie-dye t-shirts. I attended Beth’s camps summer after summer and when I turned thirteen, she decided to teach me and the other campers how to make jewelry from metal. This transition from magazines to gold and silver, while intimidating at the time, became one of the most important moments in my art education. Flash forward six years and I now study metals and jewelry at the Tyler School or Art and I still apprentice with Beth every summer. Regardless of your beliefs in fate, destiny, or luck, my drive to be a successful artist stems back to the people who have been in my corner since the beginning. I strive to make my family, my teachers, and Beth proud through my artistic accomplishments but most importantly I strive to be someone who nine-year-old me would be proud of through fulfilling what I feel is my destiny, being a successful jeweler. The longevity of my artistic journey has connected me deeply to the arts, but I’m also emotionally connected to my work as well. At the age of fifteen, not long after Beth let me use the soldering iron on my own for the first time, I was diagnosed with a rare condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. There are two sides to every coin and unfortunately the whole time I was learning to become a jeweler at summer camp, I was experiencing chronic pain. Pre-diagnosis I felt hopeless post diagnosis that feeling was amplified because my condition is incurable. But a few months after my diagnosis, I created Stripes Jewelry a business inspired by my own struggles as a disabled artist, I created an outlet for myself creatively and to give back to others. The name Stripes and my logo, the zebra are representations of the Ehlers Danlos Syndrome awareness ribbon which is zebra print. Incorporating my condition as a part of my business and artistic identity allowed me to accept myself as a disabled person and allowed me to heal and express my feelings about the struggles I experienced with my health. Stripes Jewelry as a business is where I create charity themed pieces which give back 10% of proceeds to a coordinating charity such as St. Jude, Mental Health America, The Human Rights Campaign, and more. Not only did I promote healing for myself I am contributing to the healing of others through the chartable aspect of my business. I want to create the opportunities and healing Stripes has provided to me for others in need. I feel that there is virtually nothing that can prevent me from mastering my craft if I do not allow my challenges to consume me. My goals for the future are to grow my business, maintain a healthy mindset about my physical challenges, make Beth and my mom proud. And lastly become someone that the little nine-year-old, is proud of and provide inspiration of others to achieve their dreams. Business Site: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/stripesjewelry

My interest in entrepreneurship stems from my experience as a disabled jeweler. I was diagnosed with a rare chronic illness called Ehlers Danlos syndrome at the age of 15. Due to the rarity of my condition, there is not much of knowledge, understanding, or research on my condition making it incredibly difficult to diagnose. Because of this fact, I was left feeling like nobody cared about me or my struggles with my health. I remember when I was 12 years old, I was ordered by my doctor to wear a brace for my scoliosis, a symptom of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. The brace was hard plastic, covered my entire torso, made breathing and movement difficult, and made it so none of my clothes fit. I had to wear it 23 hours a day, all of which I resented my condition, my body, my circumstance, and eventually myself. One day after another doctor’s appointment of inconclusive results about my health condition, I began to cry on the car ride home and I admitted to my mom that I hated myself because of everything I had been through with my health. In the years following this experience, my diagnosis, and sharing my feelings with others, I came to realization that every marginalized person shares this feeling in some capacity. With my experiences, realizations, and reflections I concluded that these lessons I’ve learned over these recent years would be pointless without taking action as a result. I felt the need to in some way contribute to alleviating others struggles so no one would have to suffer. Although I've been a jewelry for 10 years, I'd never had the confidence to sell my pieces. But as a junior in high school pursuing my degree in Commercial Arts and Advertising Design at the local vocational school, Hunterdon County Polytech, part of our class’ curriculum was the Bridging the Gap program. A semester long project where you develop a marketing plan and full-blown business complete with a logo, business cards, and real jobs assigned by the teacher. Through this program I created Stripes Jewelry, a jewelry business with an emphasis on original designs and products with a cause. . I make charity coordinated pieces with collections that 10% of proceeds are donated to causes such as St. Jude, The Human Rights Campaign, Mental Health America and more. Through Stripes I’ve been able to achieve self-love and put love back into the world through my jewelry and entrepreneurial endeavors. I’m currently a sophomore at Temple University studying for my BFA in Metals and Jewelry with Entrepreneurial Studies. At the end of the fall semester, I was able to declare entrepreneurial studies as part of my degree and I began my first class at the Fox School of Business this past spring semester. For our first project we had to develop a new product that catered to our passion area. Being that my passion is jewelry, and I already had an established business, I developed a new line of jewelry that donates 10% to an ocean cleanup cause. The pieces feature imagery of marine life collage of recycled plastics and comes with an informational card that informs consumers about the impact of non-biodegradable materials and encourages consumers to continue buying eco-friendly products. I am set to launch my new line at the end of the month, and I am so excited to finally give back to this cause. The promotion of healing for others as entrepreneurship has done for me is what motivates me to continue the growth of Stripes Jewelry and impact the world in a positive way.

As a disabled person who has experienced the adverse effects of how we approach disability in this country, I understand how it feels to be disregarded and mistreated by our current systems regarding mental health. The physical anguish and the stresses ensuring my access to proper care has damaged my mental health and changed my life forever. At the age of fifteen I was diagnosed from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes joint laxity, severe chronic pain, and will be apart of my life forever. Today I can say I’m disabled with pride but just a short time ago I was experiencing symptoms of depression because of the stresses and stigma that come with being disabled. The judgement and adverse effects of stigma I have experienced when discussing both my physical disability and mental health, are almost identical in reaction from others. When I would discuss my disability with others, I would often either be met with disbelief, an insensitive comment usually to the effect of how my physical appearance doesn’t match their preconceived idea of what disability looks like, or I’d be gushed over, with overbearing sympathy and praise. Being treated in these ways isolated me and further cemented the idea that after my diagnosis I was no longer ‘normal’. In many ways I felt as if the person I was for the first fifteen years of my life had died, and now I was a new person all together. A new person who would be treated differently, constantly questioned, and simply put, depressed. In a way you could say after my diagnosis I was in mourning of Laura pre-diagnosis. When I attempted to share the decline in my mental health with others, I was met with a similar response to talking about my disability. I was told I was dramatic, faking it, or that I was an inspiration and that I would ‘get through this’. The concept that mental illness is temporary or that mental illness is an act for attention, is incredibly harmful and this concept is also prevalent in stigma surrounding disability. This limited me in being vulnerable with others and I often struggled in silence and lacked the care I need. But the harmful mindset of striving for normalcy to gain acceptance of the people around me tormented me for years. I have been a jeweler for 9 years. And it is my passion in life. I truly believe that being a jeweler is what I am destined to do. Although creative expression is a common coping mechanism for artists, I was never vulnerable in my work. I bottled my emotions and never used my creative outlet to its full potential because I was afraid of the reactions of others. But in 2020 I created my piece 'Flora'. ‘Flora reflects my journey as a disabled person and the growth I have had from my struggles with my health. One of the symptoms of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome I have experienced since I was eight years old is scoliosis. I never let myself express the mental anguish and trauma I had from experiencing chronic pain and illness at such a young age. But finally, I let myself tell my story and express my struggles through ‘Flora’ by recreating my spine in a wearable body jewelry piece. I created 'Flora' for my senior art show at my high school. I displayed this piece and shared my story with a large audience, something I had never been comfortable doing previously. At the end of the night, I took a moment to myself and processed how much better I felt after telling my story and for the first time in a long time I felt truly happy. Jewelry provides a sense of healing, when I create pieces about topics that involve hardship or trauma, I can gain closure on those experiences. As far my creative ambitions for the future I hope to finish my schooling, grow my jewelry business, advance my skill set, and continue to express myself unapologetically through my craft. Now on the other side of being in a dark place I can say something I wish someone had told me in that time, tell your story, share your feelings, make your art, and do not give a care in the world about what anyone has to say about it! I hope that we continue to deconstruct the systems we have in place and build up a new attitude and care institutions that allow for people to get the help they need and tell their stories too. You can find Flora and my other finished works here: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/portfolio

I have found that in my work as a climate justice activist, the lack of empathy and humanity within most people causes conflict in creating climate policy and working towards saving our planet. When I went to my first climate strike, I was so excited, I had never been to something like this before and I had learned a lot about climate change from my friend who organized the climate strike. When I shared all, I learned and that I would be going to the climate strike with my parents they were not opposed to being involved in climate activism, but they asked why I was so stressed about something that would not affect me. They explained to me that no adverse effects of climate change would occur in mine or their lifetime. And while it has been proven that climate change will have adverse effects on our planet during my lifetime and it already has during both mine and my parent’s lifetime, I could not understand why they did not want a better future for the next generations. But once again my parents feel that the issue of climate change will not affect them, therefore in their eyes it is not worth fighting for. With my experiences, realizations, and reflections I concluded that these lessons I have learned over these recent years would be pointless without acting as a result. As a junior in high school pursuing my degree in Commercial arts and Advertising Design at the local vocational school, Hunterdon County Polytech, part of our class’ curriculum was the Bridging the Gap program. A semester long project where you develop a marketing plan and full-blown business complete with a logo, business cards, and real jobs assigned by the teacher. Through this program I created Stripes Jewelry, a jewelry business with an emphasis on original designs and products with a cause. I make charity coordinated pieces with collections that 10% of proceeds are donated to causes such as St. Jude, The Human Rights Campaign, Mental Health America and more. Stripes is still active today. Today, I am currently a freshman at Temple University studying for my BFA in Metals and Jewelry with Entrepreneurial Studies. At the end of the fall semester, I was able to declare entrepreneurial studies as part of my degree and I began my first class at the business school this spring semester. For our first project we had to develop a new product that catered to our passion area. Being that my passion is jewelry and I already had an established business I developed a new line of jewelry that donates 10% to an ocean cleanup cause. The pieces feature imagery of marine life collage of recycled plastics and comes with an informational card that informs consumers about the impact of non-biodegradable materials and encourages consumers to continue buying eco-friendly products. I am set to launch my new line at the end of the month, and I am so excited to finally give back to this cause I care so deeply about. I hope to inspire others with my story and my art, to find it within themselves to show more kindness to our earth and our fellow human beings.

Although difficult 2020 for me was an important transitional period into adulthood which reminded me the importance of family, gratitude, and humanity. When the pandemic began, I was a senior in high school. At first, I did not realize the gravity of the situation, I thought I would have two weeks off school and my biggest concern was my track season getting cancelled. While that mindset was incredibly selfish of me as the only thing, I was concerned with amid tragedy was my trivial high school extracurriculars, but for me and most people my age this is the first widespread tragedy I have experienced firsthand. Most of Generation Z grew up in a post 9/11 world with full access to the internet, myself included, despite other tragedy’s occurring in our lifetime I feel that my peers and I were widely desensitized to these tragedies because we saw them through a screen. The same screens we watched silly videos, texted our friends, completed school assignments, and played games. When tragedy is presented to you in the same way as the more trivial things, I’ve listed you may feel sad, angry, disheartened at this news, but you cannot comprehend impact via a screen. The pandemic however was different in registering with someone like me who was largely desensitized due to technology. Not only were screens practically shoved down our throats to continue to participate in everyday life, but I quickly came to understand the numbers and statistics I saw on my screen everyday were not just numbers, they are all individual human lives. I came to this understanding because my grandmother, or my Nana, became one of those numbers. In April of 2020, my Nana contracted Covid-19. She was in the age range for people more vulnerable to the virus and she had pre-existing conditions that affected her repertory system. She was in hospitals and rehab for about three months. One of the memories that stuck out to me when reflecting on my 2020 experience was Mother’s Day of last year. My Nana had been the hospital for about a month currently. We were not allowed to visit her, and it was very difficult for her to talk on the phone due to shortness of breath. For Mother’s Day my parents, my aunt, my uncle, and my cousins, and I all went to the hospital she was in and stood outside her window with signs. I was not allowed to hug my family members who were there, and we could not even see my Nana from outside her window. But that day was both one of my favorite days of the pandemic as well as the hardest day of the pandemic, because we had no idea if that would be her last Mother’s Day. She fought a long and hard battle, and I am incredibly lucky to say she is still with us today. My Nana contracting Covid made me realize the reality of our situation. And reminded me to always cherish the moments with your loved one because you never know when that person can be torn away from you. Now a little over a year later. I am preparing to move on campus at Temple University and begin taking in-person classes at the Tyler School of Art where I am pursuing a degree in Metals, Jewelry and CAD-CAM. Jewelry, my craft, to me is healing. My current project ‘Faceless’ is in the early stages of creation. Inspired by the traumas of the Covid-19 pandemic, I am developing a collection of face masks make from an unconventional material, metal. Each face mask features a personal story of mine such as the first piece in the collection titled “Nana” which visually tells the story of the impact of Covid on my family, the stresses of potentially losing her, and her battle with the virus as manifested in this facemask piece. I also plan to touch on other aspects of the pandemic through these metal sculpted facemasks such as isolation, my experience as a disabled person in the pandemic, and my idea of the return to active life once again. *I've also included a link to my portfolio page where you can check out my finished work!

As a jeweler who was discouraged from studying technology and other scientific and mathematical fields as a child. I am studying computer aided modeling and design at the Tyler School of Art, to bridge the gap between technology and my creative endeavors. By learning programs like Z-Brush and techniques such as 3D Printing, I will become a more well-rounded and dynamic jeweler. In the Fall 2021 semester I will be taking my first CAD-CAM class where I will learn to draw with precision, use coordinate input and merge models to different file formats; create, test, and verify solid models in STL file format for production of rapid prototypes; and render models. I am incredibly excited to diversify my craftsmanship and learn skills in tech while creating beautiful jewelry pieces. As a child I was always told by my parents and teachers that there are two types of people in the world. There are those who are exceptional at math, science, and history, those of which are primarily male, and there are those who are gifted in literature, writing, and the arts, whom are almost always female. Whenever this concept was presented to me, it was usually followed by a summarization of a study that shows that according to neurological testing men use the left side of their brains more while women exercise the right side more. But regardless of whatever misquoted, and half true information was thrown my way rather than feeling informed, I was left feeling cornered and discouraged. Regardless of biological differences men and women should have equal opportunity to explore all areas of study. It did not matter that I had a ‘right brain’ due to my teachers labeling me as such I felt as though I was not allowed to explore certain areas of study because I would automatically be inadequate at them. I continued the rest of my schooling as an artist, a jeweler more specifically. At the age of thirteen I learned how to solder, and I was told by my mentor Beth that soon enough I would be handier with tools than all the boys in my class. For the first time I felt empowered. I was finally allowed to do something that ‘was meant for boys’, using tools. Nine years later I am proud to say that with the incorporation of computer aided modeling in Tyler’s Metals, Jewelry, and CAD CAM degree program, I am finally allowed to be left brained and explore math and science through technology. Being able to learn CAD CAM is not only an incredible opportunity given that most jewelry program at other university’s do not offer those classes but being allowed to explore an area of study in tech is just as empowering as the first time I picked up the soldering iron. I hope to bring my knowledge and technological expertise to a large brand such as Tiffany’s or Cartier after I graduate from Tyler. I want to help innovate their jewelry making practices and have my pieces sold in stores all over the world. And with that reach I hope to educate and open other young girl’s eyes to their potential. I hope to empower young girls in the way I was empowered as a young girl myself. Lastly, I hope to become someone that would make my younger self proud by breaking out f the box I was placed into by studying and mastering my craft through technology.

My biggest role model is my grandfather or my ‘Pop-Pop’, Rodger McMahon. My Pop-Pop is the most selfless person I have ever met. He is a Korean War Veteran, a retired firefighter of forty years, a father of four, grandfather of ten, and great-grandfather of ten with one on the way, and a skilled craftsman. My grandfather has taught me to approach life with a sense of both resourcefulness and compassion through his stories of his time serving his country and community. You may assume that my grandfather inspired me to enlist in the military, become a firefighter or police officer, a nurse or EMT, or maybe even a teacher or profession that works with children. But I am a jeweler, a small business owner, and a student at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. I have been a jeweler for nine years and I have been running my business Stripes Jewelry for three years. So how do I incorporate the selflessness of a firefighter into earrings and necklaces? My Pop-Pop in his time away from the fire station loved to golf, hunt, and most of all fish. He created his own lures with colorful beads and blades to mimic the iridescent scales of the fish. Around the Christmas of 2020 my grandfather asked me if I used beads in my work. I told him I did and when my parents and I went to visit him and my grandmother for Christmas Eve he gifted me four tackle boxes full of his supplies for fishing lures. I now had virtually every color of beads imaginable along with his metal blades. I will admit at first, I was slightly confused why he was gifting me fishing supplies as I’ve never fished a day in my life, but he then explained that he thought I could use them fore jewelry. It hit me that he was completely right, most of the supplies he gave me looked like products you would see in any craft store. I was impressed by my Pop-Pop’s resourcefulness, he was able to see supplies meant for a specific application in a new and creative way to support my creative endeavors. It also warmed my heart that my Pop-Pop gave his lure supplies to me, as many of my cousin’s fish and could learn how to make their own lures, but he chose to give them to me to support my passion of jewelry. My grandfather’s selflessness has inspired me to help others through my art. Although I may not be saving people’s lives, I now offer a line of charity themed jewelry on my website. I create charity themed pieces and donate 10% of the proceeds to a coordinating cause So far, I have created collections that donate to Mental Health America, The Human Rights Campaign, St. Jude, and I am currently creating an ocean themed line with my grandpa’s fishing supplies which will donate 10% to the Ocean Cleanup project. Thanks to my grandpa’s lessons I have been able to apply his selflessness to my passion and give back to those in need. And now every time I make a pair of earrings or a necklace I will think of my grandfather, the best Pop-Pop in the world, and be grateful for everything he has taught me. Business Site: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/stripesjewelry

As a disabled person who has also experienced the adverse effects of how we approach disability in this country, I understand how it feels to be disregarded and mistreated by our current systems. And in turn the physical anguish I have experienced has damaged my mental health and changed my life forever. At the age of fifteen I was diagnosed from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes joint laxity, severe chronic pain, and will be apart of my life forever. Today I can say I’m disabled with pride but just a short time ago I was experiencing symptoms of depression because of the stresses and stigma that come with being disabled. The judgement and adverse effects of stigma I have experienced when discussing both my physical disability and mental health, are almost identical in reaction from others. When I would discuss my disability with others, I would often either be met with disbelief, an insensitive comment usually to the effect of how my physical appearance doesn’t match their preconceived idea of what disability looks like, or I’d be gushed over, with overbearing sympathy and praise. Being treated in these ways isolated me and further cemented the idea that after my diagnosis I was no longer ‘normal’. In many ways I felt as if the person I was for the first fifteen years of my life had died, and now I was a new person all together. A new person who would be treated differently, constantly questioned, and simply put, depressed. In a way you could say after my diagnosis I was in mourning of Laura pre-diagnosis. When I attempted to share the decline in my mental health with others, I was met with a similar response to talking about my disability. I was told I was dramatic, faking it, or that I was an inspiration and that I would ‘get through this’. The concept that mental illness is temporary or that mental illness is an act for attention, is incredibly harmful and this concept is also prevalent in stigma surrounding disability. This limited me in being vulnerable with others and I often struggled in silence and lacked the care I need. But the harmful mindset of striving for normalcy to gain acceptance of the people around me tormented me for years. I have been a jeweler for 9 years. And it is my passion in life. I truly believe that being a jeweler is what I am destined to do. Although creative expression is a common coping mechanism for artists, I was never vulnerable in my work. I bottled my emotions and never used my creative outlet to its full potential because I was afraid of the reactions of others. But in 2020 I created my piece 'Flora'. ‘Flora reflects my journey as a disabled person and the growth I have had from my struggles with my health. One of the symptoms of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome I have experienced since I was eight years old is scoliosis. I never let myself express the mental anguish and trauma I had from experiencing chronic pain and illness at such a young age. But finally, I let myself tell my story and express my struggles through ‘Flora’ by recreating my spine in a wearable body jewelry piece. I created 'Flora' for my senior art show at my high school. I displayed this piece and shared my story with a large audience, something I had never been comfortable doing previously. At the end of the night, I took a moment to myself and processed how much better I felt after telling my story and for the first time in a long time I felt truly happy. Jewelry provides a sense of healing, when I create pieces about topics that involve hardship or trauma, I can gain closure on those experiences. As far my creative ambitions for the future I hope to finish my schooling, grow my jewelry business, advance my skill set, and continue to express myself unapologetically through my craft. Now on the other side of being in a dark place I can say something I wish someone had told me in that time, tell your story, share your feelings, make your art, and do not give a care in the world about what anyone has to say about it! I hope that we continue to deconstruct the systems we have in place and build up a new attitude and care institutions that allow for people to get the help they need and tell their stories too. You can find Flora and my other finished works here: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/portfolio

As a disabled person meeting new people can be incredibly challenging, as the fear of not being accepted is a looming. Two years ago, I was a junior in high school, I had chosen to study commercial arts and advertising design at the local vocational school. Although I was splitting my time between the vocational school and my high school where I had an established school life and friendships, I had a new challenge ahead of me, making new friends as a disabled person for the first time. At the time of beginning my new school life, I had been recently diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes me chronic pain, joint dislocations, and a variety of other symptoms that affect me daily. A few months prior to the start of school I had told some family and friends, but for the most part I was ashamed and insecure about my disability and struggled to accept myself. Ehlers Danlos is an invisible illness. Meaning I do not have any physical indicators that would communicate to others that I am disabled. Therefore, when I tell able bodied people about my disability, they often invalidate me or question the legitimacy of what I am telling them because they cannot tell I am disabled. The potential for being invalidated or not accepted by my new classmates, instilled fear into me. On one hand I could avoid vulnerability with my classmates and on the other I felt like if I want to be friends with them, I had to be honest about who I am. I felt if I could not accept myself, how could I expect others to? After a few weeks of class I had bonded with all my classmates but one of my classmates really stuck out to me. Her name was Erin and she was interested in becoming an art therapist. I had never met someone like her. Erin was incredibly kind but open about her emotions. She would often explain how she was able to analyze and understand other people’s emotions, a career as a therapist was quite fitting for her. So, in a sense I was the opposite of her, I was closed off about personal information because I could not gauge the reaction of others. I learned a lot from Erin, her vulnerability and unapologetic attitude encouraged me to be transparent as well. I also felt like even if all my classmates judged me for sharing my story, Erin would be there for me regardless. In the second half of the school year, I shared my disability with my class via a project I had to present to them. After I shared my story not only were all my classmates accepting but Erin began to research my condition and support me by letting my share my struggles and emotions with her outside of class. She wanted to not only understand me but my condition as well. I feel that she has shown true acceptance of me and I realize that she is always going to be there for me. Three years later Erin and I are roommates at Temple University where I study Jewelry and Metals and she studies Psychology. Not only am I grateful for the kindness and acceptance Erin has towards me but I know someday her patients will be in good hands, and she will continue to help others with her kindness. It will always mean a lot to me that Erin is my friend and that she has continued to assist me in my journey to self-acceptance.

In my experience as a student my self-worth was not based on appearance, popularity, or materialism, which is surprising given the societal pressures put on young girls, but I valued myself based off talent. From a young age I considered talent to be skills like athleticism, intelligence, comicality, none of which I felt I possessed. I could not run fast, score a goal, or shoot a basket to save my life. I was not very quick witted, and most jokes went over my head, so I was not much of a comedian. I got average grades and I was far from eligibility for the gifted and talented program, which in retrospect I am pretty sure was just a method to brainwash elementary school children into taking AP classes in high school. That is all to say because I did not feel talented and therefore, I felt insecure from a young age. I also feared that if I were to ever become talented that I would become full of myself or over-confident in my talent. So much so that because of my cockiness I would ultimately fail myself and never reach my full potential. The issue with insecurity is that you create ridiculous scenarios, like the one I just describe, that inevitably prevent you from becoming fulfilled. Despite what I though of myself, the reality was I was talented. I began making jewelry when I was nine years old, and I started metalsmithing when I was thirteen years old. I’m not sure how many girls can wield a soldering iron before they start high school but if anything, that is talent. As women I feel we often fear being overconfident because we live in society that has a history of silencing women. I also feel that insecurity has been embedded in womanhood and that insecurity is treated as a given in the female experience. And I feel that education and our perception of talent perpetuates insecurity in female students, but my favorite teacher helped me to combat my insecurity to allow me to succeed. Mrs. Diaz was my Commercial Arts teacher at the local vocational I attended as a part of my high school education. She assigns a project every year where students create their own businesses. The project is meant to bridge the gap between artistic abilities and commercial and real-world application. Being that I’m a jeweler, I created a jewelry business, Stripes Jewelry. Part of the project is creating a marketing plan in which you must list your products and services along with their prices. Being that I did not value my own work or talents, I prices most of my products with single digit numbers. When I turned my project in for our weekly progress update, she gave me a 2/5 on the work I had done for that section and she asked to see me after class. Mrs. Diaz was a tough teacher, and I was incredibly intimidated by her. But she is also a mother and treats her students with a tough love approach, and she is someone who’s approval I wanted so badly. When I met Mrs. Diaz after class, she told me that my prices were not going to cover the cost of my materials or my labor and that is why I got a bad grade on the assignment. But most importantly she explained to me that she could tell I did not value my work or myself and that confidence is key in business and art. She told me my talents are only valuable if I believe in their value. Not only did I realize that Mrs. Diaz thought I was talented, which meant the world to me, but I realized I am talented. Monetary value aside, my art is valuable because I believe it is and that comes through it the quality of my work. I have put so much energy into my education and mastering my craft, but that hard work is a waste if I do not value my work or myself. Three years later Stripes Jewelry is alive and well because of the knowledge Mrs. Diaz gave me. I was able to dispel my insecurities and gain myself confidence, to succeed thanks to her. I will carry her lessons with me as I continue to grow Stripes Jewelry and create a lifelong career of jewelry and self-love. You can find my portfolio here: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/portfolio You can find my business, Stripes jewelry, here: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/stripesjewelry

The stigmatization of mental health has led myself and many people my age, to be silenced and left to struggle in isolation. I am 18 years old I was born in June of 2002, I am apart of Generation Z, or as some like to call me ‘sensitive’ and ‘offended by everything’. I believe what most adults fail to understand about Generation Z is the ‘sensitivity’ trope that has been placed on us is not sensitivity at all, it is mental illness. 37% of Generation Z has reported mental illness and has been deemed the most depressed generation according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Both in my personal experience and in every person, I know from Gen Z can testify that we have been upended by the stresses of social injustice, mass shootings, drug abuse, beauty standards, sexual assault, financial insecurity, and family issues. We are not sensitive, we are exhausted. The interesting aspect of everything that has traumatized and caused widespread mental health issues amongst Generation Z, has caused issues for every generation and is not unique to the 15–21-year old’s in this world. Generation Z is 21% more likely to report their mental health as fair or poor according to the American Psychological Association. So how does this reflect upon my experience? Growing up my parents where very of a don’t ask don’t tell mentality about anything that in their eyes was deemed ‘too personal’. At the age of eight I started experiencing chronic pain, although I did not know the source of my pain at the time. From that point on I experienced a series of health problems throughout my childhood, all of which were relatively inexplicable by doctors. At the age of 15 I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome. I spent most of my time taking care of my body, managing my pain, and going to doctor’s appointments. Something I wish my doctors explained to me was the stresses of living as a disabled person in an ableist society, but I suppose they don’t teach you that in medical school. I spent the next three years growing increasingly insecure about my disability and struggling with my physical health. Trying to explain this to my mom and dad was virtually impossible because they are not disabled and held the belief of most people at the time, which is that you keep your emotions to yourself. Suppressing my emotions also severely damaged my mental health and led me to the darkest place I had ever been mentally. Although I've been a jeweler for 9 years, I've never been vulnerable in my work. I created 'Flora' to reflect my journey as a disabled person and the growth I have had from my struggles with my health. One of which is scoliosis which this piece mimics. I created 'Flora' for my senior art show at my high school. I displayed this piece and shared my story with a large audience, something I had never been comfortable doing previously. Through jewelry I can express myself better than I could through words. Jewelry also provides a sense of healing, when I create pieces about topics that involve hardship or trauma, I can gain closure on those topics. As far my creative ambitions for the future I hope to finish my schooling, grow my jewelry business, advance my skill set, and continue to express myself unapologetically through my craft. Now on the other side of being in that dark place I can say something I wish someone had told me in that time, tell your story, share your feelings, make your art, and do not give a care in the world about what anyone has to say about it! You can find Flora and the rest of my portfolio here: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/portfolio

Creative expression and the therapeutic qualities of art are extremely important to me as a jeweler. My current project ‘Faceless’ is in the early stages of creation. Inspired by the traumas of the Covid-19 pandemic, I’m developing a collection of face masks make from an unconventional material, metal. Each face mask features a personal story of mine such as the first piece in the collection titled “Nana” which visually tells the story of the impact of Covid on my family. In April of 2020, my grandmother, or my Nana as we call her, contracted Covid-19. She fought a long and hard battle, and I am incredibly lucky to say she is still with us today, but the stresses of potentially losing her as well as her battle with the virus are manifested in this facemask piece. I also plan to touch on other aspects of the pandemic through these metal sculpted facemasks such as isolation, my experience as a disabled person in the pandemic, and my idea of the return to active life once again. I hope to exhibit this collection at the Stella Elkins gallery at the Tyler School of Art where I am pursuing a degree in Metals, Jewelry and CAD-CAM. Jewelry, my craft, to me is healing. For most of my life I lived with an undiagnosed disability until three years ago when I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. The physical pain I’ve endured in combination with the confusion and isolation that comes with being treated like a medical mystery all through my childhood led me to connect with artistic expression. Although I've been a jeweler for 9 years, I've never been vulnerable in my work. I created 'Flora' to reflect my journey as a disabled person and the growth I have had from my struggles with my health. One of which is scoliosis which this piece mimics. I created 'Flora' for my senior art show at my high school. I displayed this piece and shared my story with a large audience, something I had never been comfortable doing previously. Through jewelry I am able to express myself better than I could through words. Jewelry also provides a sense of healing , when I create pieces about topics that involve hardship or trauma, I can gain closure on those topics. As far my creative ambitions for the future I hope to finish my schooling, grow my jewelry business, advance my skill set, and continue to express myself unapologetically through my craft. You can find Flora and my other finished works here: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/portfolio You can find my business and more jewelry I created here: https://stripesjewelry.wixsite.com/stripesjewelry

Disability and fitness are often surrounded by misconception and assumption. As a disabled person and avid runner, I can say that being disabled does not mean physical and mental fitness is unattainable. Personally, I have been playing sports since I could walk. I grew up with an older brother and a bunch of cousins, who all played sports, so it was only natural that my parents signed me up for soccer, basketball, dance, gymnastics and more. But even though I was young it was pretty apparent I was different from my teammates and the rest of my family. I could not run as fast as the other kids, I got tired easily, and I often hurt myself despite not working as much as the other kids. But where my parents really felt I shined was dance. My teachers always appalled how flexible I was, and I was able to perform more advanced moves because I was very naturally flexible. This natural flexibility or hypermobility was caused by an undiagnosed disability, but frankly 8-year-old Laura was just excited to do a split. I loved to dance until around the age of eight when I started to experience chronic pain in my neck, I was unaware of the cause of this pain. Despite the pain I continued to dance, and I picked up another sport I really loved, long distance running. Running also caused me a lot of pain in other joints such as my ankles and knees but by the age of 12 I had built up a high pain tolerance which allowed me to push through the pain. In middle school I joined the cross-country and the track team. I excelled in my events and had a lot of fun but put my body through the ringer. By the age of fifteen I dislocated my knee and needed surgery. I had to reflect on my actions and the damage I had done to my body. Pushing through the pain is not always the solution and just because I could run fast, did not mean I was healthy. After my knee surgery I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a condition that causes joint laxity, chronic fatigue and pain, and many other health complications. Upon my diagnosis I had a wakeup call, I needed to take care of myself to live a healthy life. Three years after my diagnosis I have used fitness to manage my pain with physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, Rolfing treatments, and despite how it has hurt me in the past, running is a big part of my treatment. Learning how to be in tune with your body to nurture it is key especially as a disabled person. Fitness has taught me self-discipline and allows me to attain physical and mental wellbeing through something I love.

"Flora" (2020) Laura Adams: I've been a jeweler for 9 years but, I've never been vulnerable in my work. I created 'Flora' to reflect my journey as a disabled person and the growth I have had from my struggles with my health. One of which is scoliosis which this piece mimics. I created 'Flora' for my senior art show at my high school. I displayed this piece and shared my story with a large audience, something I had never been comfortable doing previously. This piece is reflective of my boldness because, I was open and unapologetic in sharing my story.

Growing up as a child with an undiagnosed disability was incredibly isolating yet vital in teaching me perseverance and self-acceptance. I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome at age fifteen and although I’m incredibly grateful that I had the privilege of being diagnosed and having access to proper care, the years prior were confusing, frustrating, and lonely, especially given my age. The first time I experienced chronic pain, although I did not know it, was at age 8 when my neck would become sore and spasm. When my mom took me to the doctor, they assumed I had hurt myself on the playground at school or in my favorite activity at the time ballet. The kind of pain I was experiencing is truly incomprehensible to a child, and despite my doctor’s assumptions I knew that I did not injure myself playing or dancing, thus creating more confusion for my eight-year-old self. To this day I am not sure why my doctor prescribed me a neck brace, but my mom let me bedazzle it which enticed me to wear it as the doctor prescribed. Although I was not bullied or made fun of for my fabulous neck brace, I felt that I confused my teachers and classmates, this was the first time I felt like a spectacle since my health issues were often unexplainable pre-diagnosis. The following year I was diagnosed with scoliosis and had to wear a full body brace which of course I decorated as well, in retrospect decorating my medical devices was my first introduction to artistic expression and art as a coping mechanism. The scoliosis brace was a very unpleasant and mentally draining time for me. The brace was made of hard plastic and resembled a corset in many ways, tight, difficult to breathe, and move in. I had to wear my scoliosis brace for twenty-three hours a day for about five years. The physical discomfort of the brace in combination with constant questioning from my classmates and the fragile self-esteem of a pre-teen girl, I grew incredibly insecure during this time. All through middle school and the early years of high school I tried my best to be involved by joining sports teams and clubs but inevitably I was injured in some inexplicable way and added another medical device to my collection, including a walking boot and crutches. Having an undiagnosed illness is exhausting in a lot of ways. Every time I was experiencing pain, I would miss school for doctors and physical therapy appointments. I always had a laundry list of procedures to fix the problem, along with the normal stresses of school and homework. Socially I was incredibly introverted to avoid having to explain my health problems to others. And the most challenging part of it all, I was a child, and I had never met another child experiencing what I was experiencing, I felt completely alone. These feelings I was having created a need for me to find some sort of coping mechanism. One summer my mom enrolled me in a jewelry camp with a local jeweler where I learned how to solder, saw, enamel, and polish metal. Metalsmithing and creating jewelry became the coping mechanism I had been looking for and I have been working with the same jeweler ever since. I was able to express myself freely and not have to worry about doctor’s appointments and braces when I was crafting, jewelry is an escape for me. When I started wearing my pieces to school my classmates would ask about my jewelry and how I made it rather than the brace or injury I had. With less questions and attention on my health from others I was able to take time for myself and work on gaining self-confidence. After my diagnosis I began to integrate my story and aspects of disability into my work as way to reflect my growth and new self-confidence. I find that merging something that is widely considered beautiful and being disabled which has a negative stigma has worked in combating my own internalized ableism and educating others through my art about disability. I am currently studying metals and jewelry at the Tyler School of Art and I have started my own business Stripes Jewelry, which I hope to continue to grow. Lastly, I hope I would make 8-year-old me with the bedazzled neck brace proud and show that her pain does not define her, it’s what makes her stronger.

As a disabled person self-love and acceptance has been a long and entangled journey with internalized ableism and an evaluation of identity. At the age of fifteen I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder that will challenge me for the rest of my life. Upon diagnosis I presented my friends and family with the news and I was met with a common reaction, sympathy. Some said they were sorry for me, some sent their thoughts and prayers, and some told me how strong I was. An interesting aspect of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and most rare conditions is that they are not easily diagnosed, therefore many people with rare conditions go for long periods of time without a diagnosis or awareness of their condition. Ehlers Danlos is also classified as an invisible illness, meaning it’s virtually impossible to tell a person has a disability upon first glance, which also lends itself to a difficult diagnosis. This is all to say that in many ways the sympathy my friends and family expressed, made me feel as if the person they used to know has passed away or no longer exists, and the person I am post diagnosis is new or different, this confused me. But why did it matter that my family felt sympathy for me? In all honesty it took about three years of self-reflection for me to answer that questions, because pre-diagnosis I would have responded to the news of my friend or relative being diagnosed with a disability with sympathy as well. I feel that our society’s treatment and attitude about disability is incredibly harmful, limiting, and favoring to able bodied people. The idea that my diagnosis changed who I was in the eyes of my friends and family members is reflective of how we identify disabled people. I was no longer Laura I was Laura with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome or Disabled Laura in their eyes, a limiting label and untrue mindset. Do I think my family is ableist? No, but the identification of disabled people by a disability first strips us of humanity. Even our society’s treatment of the word disabled is incredibly harmful. Generally disabled is seen as a very negative word which perpetuates the idea that being disabled is undesirable and inferior. In the instance of my family and friends, I was happy with having gotten a diagnosis and was not upset that I was now classified as a disabled person, but as able people they saw my diagnosis as negative and identity altering occurrence. Internalized ableism exists within all of us including myself, but I’m proud to say that three years after my diagnosis, I am a proud disabled person. I have focused on educating my friends and family about how to be an ally to disabled people. And I hope that with my new-found identity and self-acceptance I can become more involved in the disabled community to help others love their disabled selves as well.

As a disabled person self-love and acceptance has been a long and entangled journey with internalized ableism and an evaluation of identity. At the age of fifteen I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder that will challenge me for the rest of my life. Upon diagnosis I presented my friends and family with the news and I was met with a common reaction, sympathy. Some said they were sorry for me, some sent their thoughts and prayers, and some told me how strong I was. An interesting aspect of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and most rare conditions is that they are not easily diagnosed, therefore many people with rare conditions go for long periods of time without a diagnosis or awareness of their condition. Ehlers Danlos is also classified as an invisible illness, meaning it’s virtually impossible to tell a person has a disability upon first glance, which also lends itself to a difficult diagnosis. This is all to say that in many ways the sympathy my friends and family expressed, made me feel as if the person they used to know has passed away or no longer exists, and the person I am post diagnosis is new or different, this confused me. But why did it matter that my family felt sympathy for me? In all honesty it took about three years of self-reflection for me to answer that questions, because pre-diagnosis I would have responded to the news of my friend or relative being diagnosed with a disability with sympathy as well. I feel that our society’s treatment and attitude about disability is incredibly harmful, limiting, and favoring to able bodied people. The idea that my diagnosis changed who I was in the eyes of my friends and family members is reflective of how we identify disabled people. I was no longer Laura I was Laura with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome or Disabled Laura in their eyes, a limiting label and untrue mindset. Do I think my family is ablest? No, but the identification of disabled people by a disability first strips us of humanity. Even our society’s treatment of the word disabled is incredibly harmful. Generally disabled is seen as a very negative word which perpetuates the idea that being disabled is undesirable and inferior. In the instance of my family and friends, I was happy with having gotten a diagnosis and was not upset that I was now classified as a disabled person, but as able people they saw my diagnosis as negative and identity altering occurrence. Internalized ableism exists within all of us including myself, but I’m proud to say that three years after my diagnosis, I am a proud disabled person. I have focused on educating my friends and family about how to be an ally to disabled people. And I hope that with my new-found identity and self-acceptance I can become more involved in the disabled community to help others love their disabled selves as well.

My journey in jewelry making and the metal arts began when I was nine years old. My mom was searching for a summer activity I could participate in to keep me from lounging around all summer break. She discovered a local jeweler named Beth Judge who was holding a summer camp for children. At this point I had previously enrolled in various arts and crafts summer camps consisting of macaroni necklaces and friendship bracelet making, my mom assumed this camp would be similar and signed me up. My first day at camp my mom dropped me off at a jewelry store by the name of Beth Ann Designs. I walked in the door and was met with a show room consisting of display cases featuring beautiful pieces of jewelry. With no dry pasta in sight, I assumed I must have been in the wrong place. But then the owner of the store came from a back room to greet me. She introduced herself as Beth, the first adult I did not have to address as missus or mister and my soon to be jewelry mentor. She took me to the back room where I met more confused nine-year olds and a studio full of tools I was afraid to touch. She then began by showing us how she uses a torch, different types of metal, and by the end of the day she guided us to making our first metal piece, a simple sterling cuff with a twist in the center. Obviously, Beth did not let a bunch of children run around with torches, but she would guide us and teach by example, so we understood how these tools and materials were applied. Later in the week she taught me how to enamel, bead, and patina, of course with heavy supervision. Although my mom had virtually no idea what she signed me up for I ended up having one of the most important weeks of art education and by the time next summer rolled around I was signed up for another week of camp. I continued going to Beth’s camp summer after summer and by the time I was thirteen years old she let me start sawing, filing, and polishing on my own. And for my fifteenth birthday her present to me was letting me solder on my own. My evolution as an artist and my time with Beth lead me to understand that being a Jeweler is my calling. Jewelry is not only what I want to do foe the rest of my life, but I feel it’s what I was meant to do for the rest of my life. I am currently a Freshman at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University studying Metals and Jewelry CAD/CAM. I have created Stripes Jewelry where I sell my work and create charity pieces which donate to people and causes in need. Last year I created a toy themed line of jewelry in which I donated 10% of proceeds to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. My greatest challenge in jewelry making is also the reason I created my business. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Stripes has become a creative outlet as well as a way to give back to others. My disability prohibits me from doing a lot of activities and chronic pain often prevents me from metal working. Although challenging ensuring that I can continue to master my craft inspires me to take care of myself and do everything possible to prevent my pain from stopping me. Challenges are roadblocks but not stop signs. I feel that there is virtually nothing that can prevent me from mastering my craft if I do not allow my challenges to consume me. My goals for the future are to grow my business, maintain a healthy mindset about my physical challenges, make Beth and my mom proud. And Lastly be someone that the little nine-year-old, is proud of what she turned her summer camp experience into.

My travels to Temple University’s Rome campus will develop my skills as a jewelry designer and give me the opportunity to immerse myself in a foreign culture, an experience that I believed was far out of the realm of possibility. I am currently a freshman Metals & Jewelry major at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. I plan to travel to Rome in my Junior year and pursue an apprenticeship with a jeweler and take several studio art and art history courses. Searching for colleges is like searching for a house. I remember when my family was house hunting my mom had a list of all of her ‘must haves’. So, when I began looking at colleges, I created my list of must haves. Instead of a dishwasher and a garage, my must haves were a great jewelry and metals program and a study abroad program. I fell in love with the idea of traveling to Temple University’s Rome campus and apprenticing under an Italian jeweler. Temple’s internship program allows students to apprentice or pursue an internship with businesses and artists in Italy. As a Metals & Jewelry major, I’d be able to learn Italian techniques and jewelry styles that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to learn from my American professors. But not long after I committed to Temple and grew excited for my travels to Rome, the coronavirus pandemic began. I quickly lost all hope of my plans to travel abroad. The state of Italy during pandemic broke my heart and I quickly snubbed my dreams of ever studying abroad. I have spent my entire freshman year of college online studying, my focus shifted from traveling to the beautiful foreign country of Italy to just trying to be able to move to the far away land of Philadelphia. And the only traveling I had in my sights was from my trip from my bed to my desk. But during my spring semester Temple announced that all their campuses would be re-opened including their main and Rome campuses. After receiving the news, I quickly set up a meeting with my advisor and the study abroad coordinator to plan my trip. I was ecstatic, I could not believe the opportunity I had lost all hope of being able to experience was finally back in my realm of possibilities. But unfortunately, my advisor and the study abroad coordinator broke the news to me that most Metals & Jewelry majors do not get the opportunity to go abroad. A detail admissions must have forgotten to run by me when I gave them my ‘must haves’ list. My advisor explained that I would have to make up many of my junior or senior year studio classes because the Rome campus did not offer those classes. They discouraged me from going abroad because of the number of courses I would have to make up. Quickly my dream was crushed once again. After another trip back to my bed, a nap, and a slight mental breakdown, I got my game face on and emailed every staff member I knew asking how I could make this trip possible. I asked professors if they had known of any students who went abroad as a metal’s student. I asked department heads what classes ran in the summers and how I could make up classes if I go to Rome. I emailed admissions for any information they had, they kind of owed me one since they failed to inform me of this ‘whole metals students can’t go abroad’ issue in the first place. I quickly built my case and set up another meeting with my advisor and the study abroad coordinator. I presented them all the information I had gathered and explained to them why this trip was so important to me. After some discussion they agreed to start assisting me in planning my trip. As I approach my sophomore year, I must begin the next part of my journey to Rome. I’ll be taking 19 credits in the fall semester and it’s worth every ounce of my energy and dedication. Studying abroad is important to my development and gaining of artistic skills and knowledge. The payout of my hard work and perseverance thus far and to come, of traveling to Rome, will teach me that failure and disappointment are not defeats but, opportunities to preserve and obtain the outcome you desire. As it turned out studying abroad was not a lost cause but a dream worth fighting for.

My interest in entrepreneurship stems from my experience as a disabled person and my strive to help others. I was diagnosed with a rare chronic illness called Ehlers Danlos syndrome at the age of 15. Due to the rarity of my condition, there is not much of knowledge, understanding, or research on my condition. Because of this fact, I was left feeling like nobody cared about me or my struggles with my health. In the years following my diagnosis and sharing my feelings with others, I came to realization that every marginalized person shared this feeling in some capacity. With my experiences, realizations, and reflections I concluded that these lessons I’ve learned over these recent years would be pointless without taking action as a result. I felt the need to in some way contribute to alleviating others struggles so no one would have to suffer. I do not want anyone struggling to feel like no one is trying to help them. As a junior in high school pursuing my degree in Commercial arts and Advertising Design at the local vocational school, Hunterdon County Polytech, part of our class’ curriculum was the Bridging the Gap program. A semester long project where you develop a marketing plan and full-blown business complete with a logo, business cards, and real jobs assigned by the teacher. Through this program I created Stripes Jewelry, a jewelry business with an emphasis on original designs and products with a cause. I make charity coordinated pieces with collections that 10% of proceeds are donated to causes such as St. Jude, The Human Rights Campaign, Mental Health America and more. Stripes is still active today. I’m currently a freshman at Temple University studying for my BFA in Metals and Jewelry with Entrepreneurial Studies. At the end of the fall semester, I was able to declare entrepreneurial studies as part of my degree and I began my first class at the business school this spring semester. For our first project we had to develop a new product that catered to our passion area. Being that my passion is jewelry and I already had an established business I developed a new line of jewelry that donates 10% to an ocean cleanup cause. The pieces feature imagery of marine life collage of recycled plastics and comes with an informational card that informs consumers about the impact of non-biodegradable materials and encourages consumers to continue buying eco-friendly products. I am set to launch my new line at the end of the month, and I am so excited to finally give back to this cause I care so deeply about. I hope to inspire others with my story and my art, and to assist in ending the suffering of others.

I want to see the world become a kinder, more meaningful place. Our world currently lacks empathy, empathy needed for change. When I say the world needs more kindness or kind people, I do not necessarily mean that I wish people would smile and hug more, although that would be nice. I am speaking to the lack of empathy when discussing social issues. In this past year especially, I have come to understand that it is difficult for most people to care about an issue unless it directly affects them. But it is rather presumptuous to assume that people tend to be anything, but I also found this inherent selfishness within myself. When the coronavirus pandemic started, I felt a sense of entitlement to have the high school senior year I planned for. I was angry that I was being prevented from having fun without realizing the gravity of the reason why I was not allowed to have fun. In April of 2020, my grandmother or Nana as my family calls her, caught Covid. My Nana had pre-existing conditions and was admitted to the hospital. When she got sick, I realized that it was not stupid or unfair that my graduation and prom were cancelled, it was cancelled to prevent what happened to my Nana from happening to anyone else. In May 2020 for Mother’s Day my family and I made signs and stood outside my Nana’s hospital room window to celebrate Mother’s Day. This was another key moment for me realizing that the pandemic was bigger than me. In fact, a lot of issues were bigger than me. I believe that more people must come to this same realization in order to achieve change. After my experiences in the pandemic, I realized that the reason people would refuse to wear masks and follow Covid guidelines is because their personal inconvenience will always override empathy for the 534,000 people who have died from coronavirus. I have also found that in my work as a climate justice activist, this lack of empathy across most people causes conflict in creating climate policy and working towards saving our planet. When I went to my first climate strike, I was so excited, I had never been to something like this before and I had learned a lot about climate change from my friend who organized the climate strike. When I shared all, I learned and that I would be going to the climate strike with my parents they were not opposed to being involved in climate activism, but they asked why I was so stressed about something that would not affect me. They explained to me that no adverse effects of climate change would occur in mine or their lifetime. And while it has been proven that climate change will have adverse effects on our planet during my lifetime and it already has during both mine and my parent’s lifetime, I could not understand why they did not want a better future for the next generations. But once again my parents feel that the issue of climate change will not affect them, therefore in their eyes it is not worth fighting for. With my experiences, realizations, and reflections I concluded that these lessons I have learned over these recent years would be pointless without acting as a result. As a junior in high school pursuing my degree in Commercial arts and Advertising Design at the local vocational school, Hunterdon County Polytech, part of our class’ curriculum was the Bridging the Gap program. A semester long project where you develop a marketing plan and full-blown business complete with a logo, business cards, and real jobs assigned by the teacher. Through this program I created Stripes Jewelry, a jewelry business with an emphasis on original designs and products with a cause. I make charity coordinated pieces with collections that 10% of proceeds are donated to causes such as St. Jude, The Human Rights Campaign, Mental Health America and more. Stripes is still active today. Today, I am currently a freshman at Temple University studying for my BFA in Metals and Jewelry with Entrepreneurial Studies. At the end of the fall semester, I was able to declare entrepreneurial studies as part of my degree and I began my first class at the business school this spring semester. For our first project we had to develop a new product that catered to our passion area. Being that my passion is jewelry and I already had an established business I developed a new line of jewelry that donates 10% to an ocean cleanup cause. The pieces feature imagery of marine life collage of recycled plastics and comes with an informational card that informs consumers about the impact of non-biodegradable materials and encourages consumers to continue buying eco-friendly products. I am set to launch my new line at the end of the month, and I am so excited to finally give back to this cause I care so deeply about. I hope to inspire others with my story and my art, to find it within themselves to show more kindness to our earth, our fellow human beings, and our Nana's every day.