This past year, I was called to be the Young Women’s president in the oldest class in my ward. Our stake split and made two new wards. My community was one of them. I was called to be the first president in the YW’s oldest class. I had no idea what I was doing; I was very nervous at first. How was I supposed to be a leader to these new groups of girls when I am not a leader? I am quiet, shy, independent and not a leader. I looked up to God often asking for comfort and help. I begin learning more about what I’m supposed to do in the handbook and help from leaders and parents. I found a groove that worked for me and my group. We learned how to work together and build each other up. One of the girls in my class is inactive. I have reached out to her a few times, texted back and forth, getting to know each other. I invited her to class one day because she hasn’t been in a while and I was the one teaching, so I thought she would feel more comfortable. She, indeed, came and I was overwhelmed with joy. I service to her over text made her feel comfortable enough to come to church and come learn with us. I continued to reach out to her and get to know her more. This calling has shown me that being a leader does not always mean having the loudest voice. I continue to serve my group, showing Christlike love.

This past year, I was called to be the Young Women’s president in the oldest class in my ward. Our stake split and made two new wards. My community was one of them. I was called to the first president in the YW’s oldest class. I had no idea what I was doing; I was very nervous at first. How was I supposed to be a leader to these new group of girls when I am not a leader. I am quiet, shy, independent and not a leader. I looked up to God often asking for comfort and help. I begin learning more about what I’m supposed to do in the handbook and help from leaders and parents. I found a groove that worked for me and my group. We learned how to work together and build each other up. One of the girls in my class is inactive. I have reached out to her a few times, texted back and forth, getting to know each other. I invited her to class one day because she hasn’t been in a while and I was the one teaching, so I thought she would feel more comfortable. She, indeed, came and I was overwhelmed with joy. I service to her over text made her feel comfortable enough to come to church and come learn with us. I continued to reach out to her and get to know her more. This calling has shown me that being a leader does not always mean having the loudest voice. I continue to serve my group, showing Christlike love. My life is going in all different directions; school; church callings; family, yet whenever I have a colored pencil or paint brush in my hands, all of that chaos goes silent, and it’s just me and my art. Art is in my blood. The main mediums I work with are colored pencils and oil paints. Summer of 2024, I decided I’m going to challenge myself with my colored pencils and see what I can do. My inspiration came from artwork and painting of Jesus Christ. I have always loved the beautiful artwork people create, and it made me want to challenge myself and see if I can create my own vision of Him. I found a few references that I liked and I wanted to piece them all together into my own version of Christ. I got to work right away. I got all the sketching done and now it was time for the colored pencils. This art piece took me about two months. I have learned so much from this experience, and it definitely challenged me to use my imagination and skills with colored pencils. Each time I was working on my artwork of Jesus, I lost track of time, I was completely submerged into my artwork. I learned so many techniques about blending my colors and color theory that now I use these techniques every time I use color now. I have shared this artwork of Jesus to many people in my community and so many want copies of it. Art is a talent I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

I’ve spent much of my life feeling like an outsider in school–quiet, independent, and unsure where I fit in. Over time, being on the outside has taught me it's okay to be myself, to do things alone, and to follow my own interests. With that confidence, I’ve discovered passions that bring color and purpose to my life: artI choose to be involved in AP Art because it pushes me to grow as an artist and a person; I challenge myself with new mediums, techniques, and subjects. I choose to take two classes of art each trimester to give me at least two hours each day devoted to art. I like to challenge myself with the subject of people. The human body is the most complicated things to draw, so I take the challenge and draw and paint mostly people. I choose to participate in art because art is my happy place; it’s what I do when my busy schedule gets overwhelming. I loose track of time when I’m painting. I also choose to participate in Art Club after school on Wednesdays. I get to do service for others and use my creativity and art talent at the same time. My freshmen year, my town hosted an event called, The Journey Through Bethlehem. The community did a recreation of the streets of Bethlehem during the Birth of Christ. There were stores with things to buy, tax collectors, a random wedding, and people selling food. The people who organized the event, asked the Art Club to paint large backdrops to look like stone walls. I got to participate in this activity and found it really fun. I choose to be involved in art and art club because it gives me a place to belong, to be myself, and to use my art abilities. My family has always been my biggest cheerleaders. They support me in everything I do. They help me realize that there’s more to life than high school and to look for the best in every situation. I lean on my family for everything; I tell them everything. My family is the greatest blessing I have ever received. Art has always been my refuge. Through art, I transform my thoughts and ideas into characters, landscapes, and images that bring my imagination to life. I work in the mediums: colored pencils and oil paints, and drawing inspiration from the world around me. Over three years at my state’s Art Symposium, I’ve earned eight ribbons, and only ¼ of the total art pieces at state art get a ribbon. Art has taught me patience, creativity, and commitment. Art has truly become a part of who I am.

I’ve spent much of my life feeling like an outsider in school–quiet, independent, and unsure where I fit in. Over time, being on the outside has taught me it's okay to be myself, to do things alone, and to follow my own interests. With that confidence, I’ve discovered passions that bring color and purpose to my life: art and sports broadcasting. Art has always been my refuge. Through art, I transform my thoughts and ideas into characters, landscapes, and images that bring my imagination to life. I work in the mediums: colored pencils and oil paints, and drawing inspiration from the world around me. Over three years at my state’s Art Symposium, I’ve earned eight ribbons, and only ¼ of the total art pieces at state art get a ribbon. Art has taught me patience, creativity, and commitment. Art has truly become a part of who I am. I’ve also found a home in sports media. For six years, I’ve filmed high school games for my local broadcast team. Being part of this production team has taught me responsibility, teamwork, dedication, how to talk to people, and being teachable. My experiences in sports media have shaped me into a confident, adaptable, and teachable person–skills that will help me with future challenges. Looking to the future, I hope to one day have one of my art pieces in an LDS temple and to film a live sports game. With my hard work and dedication, I hope to build my life around purpose and creativity through the work I create.