Leading up to seventh grade, I attended public school where I was a victim of constant bullying. Eventually, it began to affect my mental health so I transferred to a private Christian school to finish out my middle and high school education. This process of adapting to a whole new environment was extremely challenging for me especially because I was very shy and a minority in this new school. My determination to become a new person at my new school is something that encouraged me greatly. I had the drive to break my shyness and start becoming more extroverted, meet new friends, and engage in fun activities with my fellow students. My new school also brought the challenge of earning respect from my peers. Respect was something I was not aware I had to earn, I thought it was something that was supposedly supposed to come naturally. As you might assume, the changes when going from public to private school can be extreme. I was accustomed to a light workload but had to immediately switch to the polar opposite. I was so stressed that I would not be able to finish all my work and study. So I used some skills I was comfortable with from my years in middle school and applied them to this new curriculum. My secret? Flashcards. As an artist I have a photographic memory, therefore writing out countless notecards kept me up to speed with my classmates. I quickly realized versatility was not an option, but a requirement in this new, and very competitive, atmosphere. The goal of every student was to become the best they possibly could. Thankfully, I consider myself a well-rounded student as well. Especially in English, Science, and Art. While maintaining exceptional grades in my other classes, but kept conquering academic obstacles along the way. Equality was not present for a while. While being the new girl I was also Hispanic, and I was not seen as equal to some people. If it was because I was a minority or because of my other background, I do not know for certain. What I knew was that I was not welcomed by everyone. Nevertheless, I also knew it did not matter what those people thought of me because I had new friends who did not see me any different than they were, even if we were complete opposites. After reading all of that you might wonder how this obstacle will help me make an impact. Well, my answer is quite simple…understanding. The understanding you do not have to do everything on your own, and even realizing you cannot do everything by yourself. Not only that, but the ability to understand and connect with people whether it is during high school, college, or work, being able to connect is crucial. Although I may not have gone through exactly what someone else has, connections can be made, and with connections comes friendships and an unspeakable bond between two or more people. Not necessarily out of pity or love, but the feeling of being understood can be a game changer for someone's mental health journey. Just knowing you are not the only one who struggles with certain things through testimonies is a major tool to success in my eyes. Once you have friends who support you and can keep encouraging you, you can be unstoppable. New experiences and accepting who you are brings growth to the mind and soul. Although adapting to new things is tough, they are necessary for success. My goal is to spread that message to anyone and everyone I possibly can.

American Tejano singer, Selena Quintanilla, is one of the most influential people in my life. Selena had begun singing when she was a little girl in front of customers and continued this passion throughout her early adult life. Music became her entire life and she could not be happier than to continue in her life with this talent. There was just one issue that Selena and her family faced and eventually had to keep secret, and it was that Selena could not actually speak fluent Spanish. She only memorized the words she needed to complete her songs or short statements for interviews. As her popularity in the music world grew, she expanded her art in other ways. Selena started her personal clothing brand and was fortunate enough to open her own store. To become as successful as she was, she had to conquer many obstacles in her path but continued to remain pure of heart. Even after one of her closest friends betrayed her she still had so much love for her friend. Selena’s pure character is something I strive to maintain throughout my life and I adore Selena’s passion for her art and her creativity. Although her life ended too early, her music, and her art, live on. I am currently a high school artist. Throughout high school, I developed strengths in art and science, so I decided to proceed in taking more difficult classes in these subjects every year. These courses include two AP Art classes, AP Psychology, Honors Biology, and Honors Anatomy. I aim to create works of art through anatomical and flora diagrams used in textbooks and educational posters. Combining my interests in science and art I will continue these studies in college, then hopefully be able to use my knowledge to continue into a Medical Illustration career. Something that I think makes my art different from others is my ability to illustrate accurate diagrams of plants, organs, and bones. I also feel that not many art students with this ability also contain the mindset of actually creating their art for educational purposes. To be honest, I was not even aware I could combine my love for both illustration and art to create a stable occupation. Not only will I be able to pursue what I love, I will not have to choose between my two favorite things. My goal then, is to become a successful Hispanic woman just like Selena was and more.

I transferred from a public middle school to my current private school because I was being bullied for my skin condition. I lost confidence in myself and the trust of others, I had no friends at this school and was too scared to try to make any, so my parents helped get me to a better environment. I started at Wesleyan in eighth grade which made it hard for me to catch up to the other students’ academic levels. I dedicated all my time to schoolwork in order to catch up. I quit my swim team so a weight could be lifted from my shoulders. As the year went on, I finally felt like I reached my academic goal, I was not as stressed, and no one bullied me for my eczema. Although the thoughts of someone bullying me scared me, I ended the school year strong with A’s on my report card and found some new friends. I figured that ninth grade would be easier for me but, yet again, I could not be more wrong. I thought I was going to be alright in ninth grade until I went to my friend’s house, she was like a sister to me. So I ended up telling her and her mother I felt depressed and had suicidal thoughts. Her mom said I had to let my parents know how I felt. It was challenging for me, but I was able to tell them. They did not understand why or how I could feel this way or how to help. My parents brought me to a specialist and this woman questioned me. I could feel myself getting stressed out. Then I made the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. I truthfully answered one of her questions, but the way I worded my response made her misinterpret what I meant. This response made her so worried that she admitted me to a mental health facility. I was so confused about what was happening, hearing this lady say I had to be taken away from my parents, so I started to cry. My mom couldn’t look me in the eye even when I was crying for her to help me, this broke my heart and I felt so guilty. I was first admitted to a hospital where they ran countless tests on me and throughout the night I could not see my parents, only doctors and the nurse who had to stay with me to ensure my safety. Long story short, I was only allowed to see my mom once a day for five minutes, the doctors and nurses in the facility ended up hurting me physically and mentally, my parents had to threaten a lawsuit to get me back home, and I felt so numb I started to cut my wrists when I got back home. The few people, other than your family, that you are supposed to trust traumatized me at 14 years old. I am now 17 years old, still making perfect grades in school, and feeling much better mentally. I dug myself out of that hole with no medication, and even though it probably took much longer than necessary, I am now stronger than ever. Now, I can honestly thank these people who hurt me, they made me realize I want to pursue science and medicine so I can help people who have had similar experiences. With the scholarship money, I would use it to help pay for my college tuition in order to achieve this goal and end the madness doctors like mine have created.

Although many people now do not appreciate art like we once used to, when patrons would hire painters to create a masterpiece that would be appreciated by all who saw it. I believe there is still a chance for artists to regain more recognition from non artists and it may not be in such a dramatic way as it used to be. I, like any other artist, have my strengths and weaknesses, paintings for example are a weakness of mine while sketches and graphite drawing are my strong suits. I was born an artist. Not an athlete nor a mathematician, which became quite clear when I reached high school. An artist's mind is something I was blessed with from an early age. I feel like I have always seen the world through a more creative mindset. I see art and beauty in everything. Even in chaos and stormy nights, my creativity can burn brighter than ever. There’s just two small, but yet not so small, problems… Art is just one of my many interests and art is not typically a well paying career. Art was always my dream, but considering today’s economic status, my family tried to persuade me to rethink my options. They may have thought I put art on the backburner, but they should have known that a stove has two front burners. I aimed to find a career that I believe had some sort of artistic aspect to it. Soon after, I realized knowledge about sciences and the human body became a new interest of mine during my Freshman year of high school. Later on, I went to an open house for a college I am interested in. During my visit, one of the enrollment staff members spoke to me about my interests and recommended I do some research on Medical Illustration. I went home that night and researched about it and that’s when it hit me. I think I have figured out what I want to do with my art. Illustrating diagrams of the human body, organs, and cells which could be put into textbooks and posters for anyone and everyone. These drawings would help students learn, doctors heal their patients, and help their patients visually understand what they are being told. Now I know that I want my art to express my interests and help others understand their body And what is happening inside them.

Some may question how Disney movies could possibly influence my life, but to me, the answer is simple. Growing up, I had watched countless of Disney's most well-known productions and they all taught me some similar lessons. Stand up for what you believe, protect the ones you love, and sometimes being stubborn is a valuable thing. These Disney princesses have been great examples of traits such as determination, love, and appreciation. In Pocahontas, she develops a love for John Smith and continues to secretly meet with him even though her people and the colonists are about to attack each other. Pocahontas was adamant about her father speaking to John so that they could somehow establish peace between both people groups. She kept sneaking out to meet with him in order to gain his trust and ended up getting one of her own people killed by a colonist. Even though Kocoum died and John Smith was captured, when she was about to give up, she got a boost of determination and continued to stand for peace. Pocahontas went against her own father to prove peace was still possible and that no one else needed to die. Mulan went against her country’s beliefs so that she could protect her father. Even though she understood the consequence of her actions of joining the army would end in death if she was caught, she did not hesitate to protect her family. When she got injured and then sent back home and saw the Huns were still alive, she still chose to continue to protect her country and her family. The stubbornness Jasmin maintained in the movie Aladdin ultimately affects everyone's lives. Even though Aladdin is credited with the title of the “true hero” because he fought against Jafar, Jasmin was determined to help him as much as she could. Throughout the whole production, she remained stubborn even when Jafar put her life in danger, and although she was aware she could have possibly stopped Jafar by agreeing to marry him, she kept refusing. So how has Disney impacted me? Its movies and their characters have encouraged me to become the best version of me shaped through appreciation, love, and determination. I will continue to strive to attain these attributes throughout my entire young adult and adult life so that I can do my best to inform my peers about these traits as well so hopefully they will feel empowered to chase after attaining them as well.

Hi my name is Lauren There is just so much to know What a dream it is To express myself Through this beginner haiku What a dream it is What does my art mean An expression of my soul What a dream it is Art is my comfort Got me through my hardest times What a dream it is Art is my sorrow Expressing my mental health What a dream it is Art to inspire You determine your own strength What a dream it is Attaining all this But not for the bragging rights What a dream it is My goal is to serve Helping others around me What a dream it is A true dream it is Becoming a role model A dream I will reach A dream with no end I won’t stop until success I am a dreamer I’m an achiever To inspire girls like me Be a dreamer too Although it is tough Never abandon your dream They hold much value Dreamers accomplish Unimaginable things So dream big my friends All artists dream big Dreams are our inspiration So come dream with me Success is waiting Waiting for you to express All of your big dreams