The concept of starting new and leaving behind what you grew up with is hard at any age. A printed picture of my family was all I had to remember them by as I boarded the plane to the U.S. The farther the plane took me from Brazil, the more distant my connection to them felt. Even at seven years old, I was ready to make new relationships. Letting go of my family was the hardest thing I would ever do. My parents gave me the good news that we had family in the U.S. when we arrived. They hoped that would ease the transition. But instead of finding comfort, I found myself feeling even more lost, going from somewhere beloved to an unexpected place. I could not fit in anywhere in our new home. I was picked on at a school for what I wore and not speaking English. At home, my cousins took advantage of me. My cousin, an artist, never treated me well, always manipulating me to his needs. I looked up to him, always seeking his approval. In my desire to please him, I discovered art. I always had my sketchbook with me doodling, drawing, and expressing my creativity. Art brought me peace. It became my escape as I navigated life in a new country. Around the same time at school, I was placed in a class with one of the only other people like me at school, Matthew. He understood what it was like to feel out of place, to speak a different language, and to have a different culture. Matthew was kind and patient with me when others were not. As time went by, a new student came to my class. His name was Tiago, and he was just like me. Tiago was Brazilian and needed help getting to know the school just like I did when I was new. So, I did what Matthew did for me and I showed Tiago kindness. Over time, our bond grew, and we became best friends. As for Matthew, he got sick and drifted away. It was hard to watch him leave my life, another reminder of how easily relationships can disappear. As I continued to grow into my middle school years, I revitalized my outlet for personal growth again, my love for art. My school's art department helped me meet new people. My art and relationships developed positively and improved. Finding comfort in this environment and being mentored by great teachers motivated me to make better art. The support made the challenges I faced at school and home easier to overcome. At the end of my sophomore year, I started to value and understand more what my parents had done for me. I realized the sacrifices my parents have made to give me and my family opportunities. They moved to the U.S. to provide my family with better living conditions, a good education, and the resources we need to follow our dreams. Even the simplest lessons, like when my dad brought me along to labor jobs from a young age, taught me to give everything my fullest effort without asking questions. These experiences have shaped me into someone who values dedication and the fulfillment that comes from putting your all into something. As I look back, each relationship has taught me something and had a great impact on my life. Getting closer to my family, making and strengthening my friendships, and growing with my art are the most important pieces that make up who I am and what I value most.

My parents definitely have been one of the biggest influences in my life since one of my top priorities is to succeed as an artist to honor my parents, who made sacrifices to give me this opportunity. They moved to the United States to ensure my family had a better life, access to education, and the resources we need to follow our dreams. I want to pay them back by making my dream of becoming a successful artist a reality. I've learned a lot from them, especially my creativity and how hardworking I am. My mom influenced my creativity by making sure I was always involved in art and expanding my skills. My dad brought me along to his labor jobs from an early age, teaching me to give everything my fullest effort without asking questions. These experiences have shaped me into someone who values dedication and the fulfillment that comes from putting your all into something. Art is more than creation and skill. It is an opportunity to inspire change. It is a way to create a connection with people both through my work and in person, with each piece reflecting personal experiences. One of my most memorable and meaningful artworks was working on painting a set for a local church. During the project, I got to interact with the kids and see their passion for the arts. It made me happy that I was providing an environment and a stage for kids to present their love for what they do. By interviewing and seeing people's views on the topics I base my art on, I can expand my range and include a personal connection to the viewer. My recent projects for AP Art have been finding what brings peace to people and making art out of it. It has opened me up to new perspectives on life and expressing that in my art. My passion for art would make me connect better with the communities in college. I would also bring my own set of ideas, inspiring other artists to do their best. With these resources, I could make better art and make my art even more recognizable. In all, I'm aiming to make an impact, even if big or small. A successful experience in college would come with becoming part of an environment where I can grow both as an artist and as a person. With this support, I could dedicate myself fully to making what I love, my art, and strengthening relationships that I value so much within the college community. I hope to give back to others what my friends and family have taught me by showing kindness, valuing connection, and inspiring creativity in others. Receiving this scholarship would be the next step in my journey through life, where I hope to inspire others to believe in their potential.

The concept of starting new and leaving behind what you grew up with is hard at any age. Even at seven years old, I was ready to make new relationships. Letting go of my family was the hardest thing I would ever do. My parents gave me the good news that we had family in the U.S. when we would arrive. They hoped that would ease the transition. But instead of finding comfort, I found myself feeling even more lost, going from somewhere beloved to an unexpected place. I could not fit in anywhere in our new home. I was picked on at school for what I wore and not speaking English. Around the same time at school, I was placed in a class with someone who understood me, Matthew. He understood what it was like to feel out of place, to speak differently, and have a different culture. Matthew was kind and patient with me when others were not. As time went by, a new student came to my class. His name was Tiago, and he was just like me. Tiago was Brazilian and needed help getting to know the school just like I did when I was new. So, I did what Matthew did for me and I showed Tiago kindness. Over time, our bond grew, and we became best friends. As I continued to grow into my middle school years, I revitalized my outlet for personal growth again, my love for art. My school's art department helped me meet new people. My art and relationships developed positively and improved. Finding comfort in this environment and being mentored by great teachers motivated me to make better art. The support made the challenges I faced at school and home easier to overcome. During the end of my sophomore year, I started to value and understand more what my parents had done for me. I realized the sacrifices my parents have made to give me and my family opportunities. They moved to the U.S. to provide my family with better living conditions, a good education, and the resources we need to follow our dreams. Even the simplest lessons, like when my dad brought me along to labor jobs from a young age, taught me to give everything my fullest effort without asking questions. These experiences have shaped me into someone who values dedication and the fulfillment that comes from putting your all into something. With this support, I could dedicate myself fully to making what I love, my art, strengthening relationships that I value so much within the college community. I hope to give back to others what my friends and family have taught me by showing kindness, valuing connection, and inspiring creativity in others. Receiving this scholarship would be the next step in my journey through life, where I hope to inspire others to believe in their potential.

Art is more than creation and skill. For me, it is an opportunity to create a connection with people through my work and in person, with each piece reflecting personal experiences. My school's art department helped me meet new people. My art and relationships developed positively and improved. Finding comfort in this environment and being mentored by great teachers motivated me to make better art. The support made the challenges I faced at school and home easier to overcome. As I look back, each relationship has taught me something and had a great impact on my life. Getting closer with my family, making and strengthening my friendships, and growing with my art are the most important pieces that make up who I am and what I value most. One of my most meaningful artworks was painting a set for a local church. During the project, I interacted with the kids and saw their passion for the arts. It made me happy that I was helping provide a place for them to express what they love. By interviewing people and seeing their views on the topics I base my art on, I can expand my perspective while creating a personal connection with the viewer. My recent AP Art project focused on finding what brings peace to people and creating artwork inspired by those experiences. It opened me up to new perspectives on life and expressing them through my art. With this support, I could dedicate myself fully to making what I love, my art, while strengthening the relationships I value within the college community. I hope to give back to others by showing kindness, valuing connection, and inspiring creativity. Receiving this scholarship would help me continue growing as an artist and inspire others through the everyday experiences that inspire me.

In my early life, I revitalized my outlet for personal growth again, my love for art.  My school's art department helped me meet new people. My art and relationships developed positively and improved. Finding comfort in this environment and being mentored by great teachers motivated me to make better art. The support made the challenges I faced at school and home easier to overcome.       During the end of my sophomore year, I started to value and understand more what my parents had done for me. I realized the sacrifices my parents have made to give me and my family opportunities. They moved to the U.S. to provide my family with better living conditions, a good education, and the resources we need to follow our dreams. Even the simplest lessons, like when my dad bringing me along to labor jobs from a young age, teaching me to give everything my fullest effort without asking questions. These experiences have shaped me into someone who values dedication and the fulfillment that comes from putting your all into something. As I look back, each relationship has taught me something and had a great impact in my life. Those early relationships showed me to be courageous and kind. They have stayed with me even through the struggles of trying to fit in at school and in my community. Getting closer with my family, making and strengthening my friendships, and growing with my art are the most important pieces that make up who I am and what I value most. This Scholarship would not only help me and my families dream at attending College but would also help me to continue pursuing my own goals. Art is more than creation and skill, especially for me its an opportunity to inspire change, it is a way to create a connection with people both through my work and in person, with each piece reflecting personal experiences. For example, One of my most memorable and meaningful art works was working on painting a set for a local church and during work I got to interact with the kids and see their passion for the arts. It made me happy that I was providing an environment and a stage for kids to present their love for what they do. By interviewing and seeing peoples view on topics I base my art on which I can expand my range of and including a personal connection to the viewer. I think would be a good fit because of my excitement to open ideas and to meet others that love art like I do. From my recent projects for AP art has been finding what brings peace for people and making art out of it. It has opened me up to new perspectives on life and expressing that into my art. With this support, I could dedicate myself fully to making what I love, my art, strengthening relationships that I value so much within the college community. I hope to give back to others, what my friends and family have taught me , by showing kindness, valuing connection, and inspiring creativity on others. Receiving this scholarship would be the next step in my journey through life, where I hope to inspire others to believe in their potential, just like this opportunity has inspired me.