As a young Latina girl from Miami, I have experienced many things that have impacted my life. I found a sense of community with the large Latin American population in my hometown, but I have also felt a sense of isolation or distance. I grew up in an area that was more known for being middle-class, but that wasn't what was reality for me. My parents came from Venezuela in the early 2000s to make a new life for them here and raise their children (my brother and I) somewhere they believed would be good for their future. I have had to overcome issues between my family, while focusing on school work at the same time. My parents divorced, my mom struggled to find work that would pay enough to sustain our family, and I was starting to understand that I wasn't coming from a background like my classmates as similar as I had thought. I think that being raised from a single mom who worked several jobs and always tried to support us in any way was something hard to watch sometimes. As I have grown up, I have realized that it is important to appreciate what you have and to see the value of actions and efforts. As someone coming from a low-income household, and having accomplished getting myself into a good college after balancing studying and a job outside of school, I want to help others that grew up with the a similar financial instability. I am currently in college studying architecture where I am learning how to create sustainable structures that can have a symbiotic relationship with human and nature bodies. After finishing my education at my institution, I would like to have the opportunity to create structures that are connected with society in which it fulfills their needs and respects the built environment. More specifically, I'd like to design socially and environmentally conscious buildings that are affordable and use scarce or local materials. I think that is the best focus and direction for my future career. It is important for everyone to have a roof to live under and to have access to clean water. Having a permanent stable shelter is what I would like for everyone that lacks one. I think it is important to use the opportunity to influence in the way that some architects have in a way that directly faces basic human needs. I think this would be a great way to help the large amounts of immigrants that come here and live check by check which denies them of ever being able to purchase a home. It would be a great way to help give them relief and hope for their future in this country.

For me, it was a tough decision because I’ve always loved the humanities as well especially history and art. I’m naturally talented at creative thinking and problem-solving, and I enjoy those things, so for a while I wasn’t sure which direction I would go. Eventually, I decided on STEM because I’ve always loved the sciences and all things tech as well. I love to understand the world around me, I love observing, studying and learning. Many of the jobs for the humanities fields I am interested in have low salaries and rely on self-sacrifice. With the field I have chosen (architecture) there is a lot of meaningful work to be done in a dynamic environment, and a lot of opportunity for difference problems to resolve and be creative. I did not have a specific role model that inspired me, but I did have an amazing teachers in high school that showed me that I’m not as bad at math as I always thought I was and that effort with dedication are the root of the learning process. I also think that my mom always encouraged my natural curiosity. I grew up with lots of Legos and building blocks which allowed for me to create different solutions for different conditions. I was always curious to find out how stuff worked and how it was all built, so I used a lot of time learning though online sources. After some time, I was building furniture, fixing bicycles, and building PCs. Given my academic aptitude for technology and science, it was almost a guarantee that I'd be getting some kind of engineering degree, but the built environment (bridges, buildings, cities, etc) was the thing I was interested in the most. Through my pursuing of an architecture degree, I am also able to learn about the natural environment and how the built and natural environments can have a symbiotic relationship. I believe that with practice, determination and connections that I forge in my years at college that will be the strong base that will help me reach my goal of becoming a great architect. During the summers, I will be interning at firms to observe and understand how the things I learn at school are being implemented in the workplace. I plan to get a minor in construction management to reinforce my understanding of construction and show future employers that I am knowledgeable about all aspects of architecture and am capable of being a strong leader. I feel that after doing jobs at a firm(s), I can take a chance at opening my own firm or working jobs that best represent my capabilities and skills. I currently don't know what the future holds for me as I am at the beginning of my architectural education, but I am determined to do the work to become successful and a strong role model for any other young girls who aspire to be great architects and designers.

This piece was created to show the toll that stress, anxiety, and trauma has on a person. The feeling of being stuck emotionally and physically is a result of that. Originally, there was mostly just words surrounding the girl, but I covered them up with several layers of paint and imagery. This was intentional to show how memories can be mixed up with fictional events in one's head. The colors, shapes, and words are all things I have seen, heard, imagined, and experienced while growing up. I made sure to include words in Spanish to reference my cultural upbringing. It is a personal piece that shows struggle and some trauma that I wanted to heal through the creation of this painting. In my art, I usually like to communicate internal conflicts, exploring the line between introversion as a personality trait and introversion as a self preservation, resulting in loneliness. I hope for my art to be introspective. I like to paint when I am overwhelmed with emotion. This particular piece portrays the difficulty in understanding one's inner self. I show this through means of manipulating imagery and by using symbolism as a tool for narrative. My art took a darker turn visually and thematically after I came close to losing vision in one of my eyes. I look back to what I felt then to inspire and influence the work I make now. The feeling that lingers is a source for my expression. The physical pain and emotional strain made me see the world in differently. I wanted to paint with more depth by showing what I felt and thought, instead of what I was seeing. The art-making process is such a vulnerable experience for me and serves as an outlet for my emotions and thoughts.

My main passion is architecture and has been a focus of mine for a while now. Architecture is what I chose to major in at my college. My mother's side of the family are responsible for my artistic roots. They have a big influence on my artistic pursuits. My grandmother, who I am named after, was a painter in Venezuela and her husband, my grandfather, was a famous journalist, professor and art critic. I have the luck of having strong artistic ancestors that have made it normal for all of us to have a deep inclination and devotion towards the arts. I remember my mother telling me how my grandmother would fill up the room she painted in with her whole aura. She was a part of an artistic group that included important figures of Op Art and Kinetic Art in Venezuela. When my mother was still a young girl, her mother was suffering from medical issues. My grandmother seemed to know her death was coming at a rapid pace, so she made several paintings that portrayed my mother as an adult surrounded by the roosters she often liked to paint. She knew she wouldn't survive her illness, so she tried to imagine what her youngest child, my mother, would look like grown up. Her art showed her deep love towards my mother; I think this shows the power of art. My mother has a big impact on why I’m choosing to pursue architecture. She studied architecture in her home country of Venezuela, but because of her dedication to take care of my brother and I, and also working a job on the side-- she wasn’t able to study again here to receive an American license and pursue her career in this country. For me, choosing architecture would be like doing what my mother couldn’t. I want to do what I can to make up for the time and career she sacrificed to take care of us and I want to impact many people and those around me in some way. I always wanted to have a permanent home or a place that I could call mine. Because my parents came to this country without much money, they had to work all day to make ends meet. This meant that they weren’t able to purchase a home ever. I always dreamt of designing my own home and making homes for people that couldn’t afford one like me. I love looking through art and travel magazines. They give me comfort and fill my mind with ideas that allow me to see different ways of viewing the world. It was also my mother’s words that pushed me further to want to pursue this passion. Growing up, what I thought of home wasn’t something of stability or permanence. I didn’t know when it’d be time to move out of a place so I couldn’t fully attach myself to it because I knew it wouldn’t matter much after. I was born in Miami Beach, where my parents and my older brother lived in a small apartment. The beach was a short walk from the place, so my mom used to take us there a lot. I remember being happy there. I’d like to think that the homes I’ve lived in mark different periods of my life. I want to design places and spaces that can mark someone’s mind, leaving some sort of memory or attachment. I’d like for my time at my school to be a period of learning how to create those spaces.

Body image and standards are things that have become manipulated and distorted by media and false advertisements. through my growth and experience I have come to accept that these things are superficial and don't determine the value and beauty of an individual. I struggled with body image and set certain standards onto myself during my time in high school. To look and feel "healthy" according to what I thought would make me look more appealing to people, I used to starve myself through intermittent fasting. This ended up developing into a larger habit in which I wouldn't eat or drink anything for at most 2 days straight almost every week. I wanted to look slimmer, but I felt like it was hard for me especially since I'm Latina and I have natural curves and thicker thighs, so I started to feel a bit uncomfortable in my own body because I wasn't looking like the slim people that I looked up to. Because of that, I have become uncomfortable in tight, or slim fit clothing. I feel anxious in those clothing and it makes me feel like I'm trapped. I don't feel well in my own body and that makes me sad because its not something that I should be feeling. So, instead of continuing to starve myself, during the pandemic I have learned the importance of nutrition and getting enough vitamins to strengthen our body and immune system. I now value feeding my body to give my mind more energy and fuel. I am currently a freshman in college and I still struggle with accepting my curves and my small height- it is a daily struggle. Some days I feel okay and I feel like I am attractive, but other days I feel negative and I want to disappear. I avoid talking about clothing sizes and what I eat (how often I eat) because they're triggers for me. I wear more loose baggy clothing because it feels like I'm not showcasing my body (the one I am not proud of). My friends have really become my support and help. I usually eat with them and it helps in pressuring me to nourish my body. I don't talk directly about my struggles with them, but they are always giving me compliments and hyping me up, which definitely helps in raising my confidence even if it lasts for a short while. I think having support from close friends really helps. I don't think that friends should force anyone to eat or tell them that they have to think a certain way, but subtle little comments and actions that show that they care can really help someone gradually grow out of their mindset. Reality checks are good sometimes and taking time off of social media, even just periodically, is positive for mental health. To conclude, I know that I may not feel completely okay and constantly confident in my own skin, but I have learned that it's a daily struggle and that some days it's fine to not feel okay, but its still never normal to neglect our own bodies and minds to fulfill someone else's standards.

Being an artist is not a simple thing. It is necessary to have devotion, dedication, commitment, and creativity to be an artist. It is not an easy thing to commit to especially because of all the pressures that exist while growing up. I choose to make art because it is an outlet for me to be able to express my emotions for when my words lack. The complexity of emotions can be expressed in so many ways through art. Being an artist means to view the world and emotions as something not superficial, but rather something that can be commented on and learned from. An artist is someone that shows imagination and reality in their visual/artistic practices. They have unique ways of expressing and constantly are showing their individualistic voice. I like to believe that no two artists are the same. Artists are responsible for so many of the things that are made in this world. Artists that design are such an important thing for the world to function. Without design, there would be just natural elements in the world. Art and artists are responsible for so many things that are underappreciated at times. Because of this, I want to make people aware of the purpose and importance of art. Whether it is design, painting or sculpting- I want to be able to constantly create art throughout my life. Personally, through my art, I would like to express my emotions and thoughts for when my works lacked. Usually, they may seem frenzied and strange, but familiar and close. I like to paint most when I am overwhelmed with emotion, ranging from manic sadness to frustration to nothingness. I often make pieces that portray the difficulty in one’s understanding of their inner self through different means of manipulating imagery and by using symbolism. Sometimes I feel a common sense of dissatisfaction in my paintings. I want to show what a feeling creates. I noticed my art took a darker turn visually and thematically after I had a corneal ulcer in which I came close to losing vision in my right eye. Because of that experience, I look back to what I felt then and the feeling that still lingers as a source for my expression and inspiration in my paintings. The physical pain and emotional strain made me see the world in a different light. I became inspired to paint with more depth than just painting what I was seeing. Just painting what I saw and what I was expected to paint felt superficial to me. I like the theme of feeling, existing, and living. I’d like to catch a feeling, or a mix of feelings, depending on the interpretation. I’d like for my work not to be a story, but to be poetic and that can speak for what is and what isn’t. When I paint, I often reach a point when I am afraid of adding even a single more brushstroke. The artmaking process is such a vulnerable experience for me. Although my work may not directly display the underlying emotions and imagery in my head, I hope it achieves some sense of depth to the viewer.

A large inspiration and driving force in my life is my mother. She is from Venezuela and always did everything possible to make my brother and I grow up well. She worked multiple jobs at a time, and still does, to pay the bills and to buy us everything that we need/want. She sacrificed many things in her life for my brother and I. She constantly put us in front of herself, caring and being more attentive towards us and our needs over her own health and well-being. Unfortunately I've seen her body and mind deteriorate with all the stress and tough work that she has done. I want to become successful in the near future to help lift the stress and worry from her shoulders. I want to pay her back for all that she has done for me. She gave up her career in another country and she left her home to come to a foreign country to raise her kids somewhere where they could have more opportunities and a better future. I admire her greatly for never giving up and staying true to her commitments. I would like to study well in college to accomplish great things with everything that I learn. I am looking forward to grow skill-wise and become enriched with knowledge in college. I got a certification during high school to prepare myself for this next step of my life. I wish to achieve success, so that one day I can give back to those who need a little help as well. I hope to achieve many of my dreams and aspirations- especially making my mom feel proud and that her struggles and sacrifices were worth it. That is what mainly drives me to improve and work hard in everything that I do. I don't regret and I take everything as a learning experience.

Learning to love oneself is a journey that is is long and also never-ending. Some days I will feel like I don't like aspects and qualities of myself and other times I will find comfort in those flaws. I don't like to conform to other people's understanding of beauty or how my behavior should be according to the general or traditional expectations of society. I like being unique and different. Although one may consider something of mine a flaw, I will find that thing to be important because it is what makes me... me. I may sound really positive and satisfied with myself, but the truth is that every day I will feel different. I think its good to remind oneself those things. What's important is to live courageously and to take risks every once in awhile to feel satisfied and accomplished. My journey with self-love and acceptance is a rollercoaster. I started to think negatively about myself around middle school and ended up falling into a dark hole mentally. A lot of people pressured me to look a certain way and to fix my appearance to conform to their beliefs of "normal". I then learned to think more positively about myself in high school, where I met many people whose confidence inspired me to embrace myself. I started to feel much safer and began forming a more positive view of my future. I like being natural and not wearing lots of makeup or conforming to people's expectations of character and appearance. I like to live my life comfortably according to my rules and likes/dislikes. Although, not everyone will like me or accept me as I am- I think that having myself is something precious.

I grew up with a single mother from Venezuela who worked several jobs and sacrificed many things for my brother and I to grow up well in the U.S. It wasn't easy cycling through jobs and struggling to pay the bills and it wasn't easy to see her slowly deteriorate with tiredness and stress. With the issues that are occurring in Venezuela, it hasn't been an option for her to turn back there. Also, having gone back to Venezuela would've felt like she worked hard in this foreign country for nothing. It would've felt like she was a failure and didn't manage to accomplish things. The only great thing that she could say she accomplished was raising my brother and I well, but unfortunately, she gave up her career in Venezuela to do so. My mother studied architecture in Venezuela, but when she came to the U.S., it became difficult for her to pursue her career here and also take care of my brother and I. For that, I feel responsible. I wish to do things to make her proud. I also want to study architecture, but not because she studied before me, but because I am passionate for it as well. I want to make her sacrifices and effort have meaning and to show their impact on me. I want to prove that no matter the background, things can be accomplished and found through hard work. I want to be successful and inspire other Latinx kids to recognize their parents hard work and to make their struggles worth it. I hope to achieve many things, but I would like to also leave a legacy and impact on people's lives. I strive to have a successful future with the career I wish to pursue. With my career I want to be able to do things to also help others. I'd like to be involved in organizations and groups that help people that have similar backgrounds and are lacking things that I could help them with.

Legacy is impact. Legacy is something has meaning and power presently and will continue to prosper in the future. To leave a legacy means to leave something that will continue to impact individuals in the future for a long-term. The legacy can be just message, but it can also be an action or gift that keeps giving. I think legacies are crucial in life because although one may not be still alive when they're legacy is left, it would help give meaning to their life. It would be a way of acknowledging that their life had impact and that they mattered. A legacy is something that is build, not found, but built and made from one's determination and passion. It is something that can be worked towards, or maybe even achieved indirectly. The thought of leaving a legacy motivates me to work hard towards my goals, but also to think of others and to support causes that mean something to me. I want to find ways to impact people in my original way. I want to commit myself to things that are important to me. I think that in order to leave a large positive legacy in life is to live every moment and to focus on what matters now. There is no better time than now. Postponing things that you like and are passionate about will only leave you with regret and time lost pursuing things that didn't fulfill you as much. Legacies aren't something to think of or strive towards selfishly, but rather things that one should work towards to become a tool or maybe a useful message for people in the future. Legacies can vary in value depending on those affected. A legacy that may be seen as simple or ordinary to an individual may be seen as an impactful or inspirational message that they would like to strive towards. I grew up with a single mother from Venezuela who raised my brother and I in a country foreign to her. She worked hard and juggled several jobs to raise us and to do everything possible so that we wouldn't ever complain about having lacked anything. She struggled so that we could persevere and accomplish things that she wasn't able to because of her long-term commitment of care for us. Her legacy is going to impact me for a long time. Her hard work is and will continue to inspire me and influence my actions. The legacy I want to leave behind is not monetary, but rather more inspirational and intangible. I want to show people that hard work pays off no matter your background. I want to make it easier for those that have overcome difficult obstacles to stay focused on their path to whatever success may mean to them. I want to leave a legacy because I want to feel like my life mattered. If I leave a legacy after I die, I hope those affected by it are able to grow and learn. I'd like for my legacy to show people that they could accomplish many things through perseverance, determination, humbleness, and honesty.