Please tell us about yourself and how you plan to make a positive impact in the world through your artistic or design pursuits. I am Manuel Rivera, I am an artist and attendee of Bronxville High School. I have always loved to draw, and I credit that to movies and comic books. When I was five years old I was inspired by Marvel movies and comics to draw their characters, a passion that has not stopped growing since then. Behind the scenes of these movies was a slew of numerous concept artists, designers, storyboarders, and visual directors to make the final product as visually impactful as it was. Therefore because of these artists, my passion for art exists as it does today. As my interest grew as I got older, I was further inspired by the many comic book artists such as Jack Kirby, John Romita Sr, Steve Ditko, Humberto Ramos, Esad Ribic, and Alex Ross. From that secondary source of inspiration I began to emulate their styles, while simultaneously developing my own. I know I am not the only one who was inspired by these many artists and their work because I have seen the works and testimonies of many other upcoming artists who have been equally affected in the way that I have been. With this in mind, I plan to make an impact with my pursuit of art and design through inspiring others to find an interest in art, or to follow their existing passions for art and design through my artwork for film and various media. This dream of impacting others with my artwork will become easily attainable with the experience and networking opportunities gained by a college education at a visual arts and design school. The schools that I am considering (like the School of Visual arts in Manhattan, and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn) all provide experience by way of academics, internships, networking opportunities, and job opportunities. With this in mind, I will leap at the chance to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the schools to further my progression in the art and design industry. As a Concept artist or designer I can explore my love for visual storytelling through creating and designing costumes, props, and settings that hint to more than just a cool design, but adding narrative depth that inquisitive artists and fans will notice. However, most importantly I want to create superhero designs that will stand out to fans of all ages, in the same way that Ryan Meinerding’s Iron Man stood out to me as a child, hopefully impacting a new generation of artists in the same way I was inspired.