My greatest achievement to date is graduating high school. I know, it sounds silly since it’s not out of the ordinary for someone applying for a scholarship. I could say that my greatest achievement to date has been getting my artwork accepted into different art shows and museum exhibitions, or passing exams I put my heart and soul into studying for, but that wouldn’t be truthful even if I’m proud of those as well. I’m writing this essay the day after my graduation ceremony, reflecting back on my life in elementary, middle school, and high school and how it led me to walking across the stage yesterday. In middle school, I was at a point in my life where I wasn’t sure if I could even see myself being handed my diploma. Not because of grades, I’ve always done fine for myself in that area, but rather due to my mental health. There are many aspects that led to my depression that I could talk about, but that’s an entirely different story. However, at the time I told myself I wouldn’t be here to graduate. Pressure from my peers built those thoughts up gradually, eventually forming a wall around myself causing me to isolate myself as if I truly was dying. With support from my friends and my family, they gave me the help and attention I needed, and receiving my diploma proved my 12 year old self wrong–I graduated high school. During my senior year, nothing truly hit me about moving away from my friends, family, and soon to be past peers. I was simply excited for a new beginning since I’ve been stuck in the same town my entire life. However, a few days before my last day of high school, everyone in my class walked through the elementary and middle schools in our caps and gowns. Walking through my old schools really put things into perspective for me. I thought to myself, “I’m growing up, I’m moving away, I won’t be in a classroom with these people again, or share the hallways with them,” as everything hit me at once. Even if I suddenly became more sentimental about everything in just a few days, I am equally excited as I was before for a fresh start at college. Over the years I’ve become more outspoken, intelligent, and caring towards others. I hope to continue to grow in the future, as I study graphic design and business to spread vital messages to the world. After college I plan to eventually become an art director for a creative company, because I believe you can display important messages through artwork. If I pushed through the hardships that came my way up to this point, I know I can achieve anything I put my mind to.

From my experience and seeing my friends around me, I can confidently state that art is beneficial to the mind. Painting, drawing, and viewing other peoples’ creations have helped me get through my struggles that have come at me in my life. Creating art gives you an outlet to express your emotions, while viewing it can give you a sense of relatability that I admire. Art is important in any culture and vital for people to recognize to soothe their minds. At the young age of 6 years old after a long battle, my dad passed away from cancer. It left my mom and me alone in a way, trying to navigate our own and each other’s lives. Especially because of the little time I have been in the world so far, it felt hard for me to comprehend exactly what had happened. I started to see a counselor regularly to help me cope and deal with my emotions. She prepared a packet for me to fill out every time we saw each other. Every one of the pages gave information about the illness, and allowed me to talk about my father and how I felt. There was plenty of space in there for me to draw pictures of whatever I wanted, but doodles of my family quickly took over the pages. I soon took my interest in drawing out of the counseling packet into my own notebooks and sheets of printing paper. I began doodling and coloring flowers and made up people created by combinations of physical features I liked. The pages soon took over my room and all of my schoolwork, as well as my free time. I began to receive art supplies from family members, and I quickly realized that I wanted to work with art for the rest of my life. I am attending Buena Vista University for graphic design, in hopes to get important and impactful messages out there one day as an art director for advertisements and campaigns. My passion for art has gotten me through hardships in life as well as gaining skills along the way. I believe that there is an aspect of relatability in the media that is incredibly important for people to have access to, no matter what they are going through. I know that when I was younger, seeing media that I could relate to would brighten up my day and make me feel not so alone. All someone can do is push through their adversities and never give up because there are always brighter days ahead.

When I was at the young age of 6 years old, my dad passed away due to cancer. I didn’t realize it at the time, because my mom tried to hide her struggles from me as best as she could, but looking back on my memories I can now tell that we were struggling financially. My dad leaving us left both of us in a difficult place emotionally, mentally, and financially. However, having experienced seeing what it looks like to be in a poor financial state has given me motivation to be better with saving money to prepare for the unexpected. There would be times at home where the electricity would not turn on or the sinks wouldn’t produce any water. When I asked my mom if she knew what was going on, she would tell me, “I just forgot to pay it. They’ll go back on shortly.” On a few occasions, however, it would be days until the power would turn back on. This gave us issues with our food especially, because if the power goes out, that means the refrigerator isn’t on either. The refrigerator we used to have was pretty old, and wouldn’t work properly from time to time. Just last year, it quit working entirely. We couldn’t afford a new refrigerator, and because of us not owning a working one, there was barely any food and drinks at home. Oftentimes, we resorted to going out to eat, but that took funds out of our pocket that should’ve gone to a new refrigerator. Looking back, we should’ve used food saved in the pantry more often than we did, but the reason we didn’t was because of the lack of ingredients. Eventually, my aunt was kind enough to help us out and find an affordable refrigerator for us which is still functioning to this day. I have seen many examples of poor spending habits from my relatives and my friends and how they can easily impact their lives, which viewing the consequences of them can guide me away from what not to do when it comes to money. Although I don’t plan on working much in the next few months before I move away, I’ve already been saving up a lot of money to help me sparingly throughout the summer before college. Financial literacy classes in school have assisted me in knowing how to spend my money sparingly, how much of my paycheck to put in my savings, and more. Knowing these skills will help me for the future to be prepared for anything that comes my way.

When I was about 8 years old, I had to quit attending piano lessons, due to my mom no longer being able to afford them, which absolutely devastated me. I loved learning to create rhythmic music from the keys. However, at school just another year later, music teachers from all over the district came to my elementary school for all of the students to try out instruments. We each went through and tried each one, and gave us a rating for every instrument they think we’d be successful at. My highest score was for the violin, so that’s what I stuck with in the following years, which ended up being one of my best decisions, leading to me falling in love with the instrument. I began playing the violin in fifth grade and would spend all of my free time playing and practicing--I wanted to become the best in my class, which I did. I participated in the solo festival the next four years and got exceptionally good scores every time. However, even though the scores remained good, they began to fall when 7th grade hit. At the beginning of the school year, I lost one of my family members in a motorcycle accident. The loss affected my mental and emotional state detrimentally, and I began to lose motivation to work on anything. Because of this, I fell back in school, and making up all of those assignments took away time to practice violin. I began to fall back in the seating and I felt incredibly guilty and embarrassed. My classmates had always seen me as the first chair, but that vision became blurry when someone else was in what I saw as my seat. I viewed freshman year of high school as a new start for me. I didn’t know most of the people in the orchestra, so I began to practice again even more as I saw an opportunity to prove myself once again. Because of the new school year, I had a clean slate for school work, so I had plenty of time to practice playing again. We started taking tests for chair placement in high school, which was a new concept to me because we never did that in middle school. In the middle of the school year, I already made my way to the first violins section as the only freshman there. This was a big accomplishment for me. I felt insanely proud of myself. I’m now a senior in high school, looking towards my last day of high school in less than a month. I began playing piano again in my free time, which fills me with joy just as much as it used to. I’m still in my school’s orchestra playing the violin, and my love for it hasn’t left since. I find it fascinating how someone is able to create such a pretty sound just from pressing their fingers down on certain strings and gliding a bow across. The idea of how beautiful a violin is alone gave me my motivation back to continue practicing and playing constantly, along with gaining better time management. I am forever grateful that the violin is the instrument I chose in 4th grade, because it is now something I look forward to every school day--to play it and create enchanting music.

Although Jack Terry and I possess different backgrounds, we share the fact that we’ve overcame adversities. I admire his determination to gain an education despite everything he previously went through with his family and the concentration camps. His will drove him to do many inspiring things in life, which is something I look up to. My will comes from my passion in art. Painting, drawing, and creating beautiful images have helped me get through challenges in my life. When I was 6 years old, my dad passed away from cancer. It left my mom and me stranded, trying to navigate our own and each other’s lives. Especially because of the little amount of years I’ve been in the world, it felt hard for me to comprehend exactly what had happened. I began seeing a counselor regularly to help me cope and deal with my emotions. She prepared a packet for me to fill out every time we saw each other. Every one of the pages gave information about the illness, and allowed me to talk about my father and how I felt. There was plenty of space in there for me to draw pictures of whatever I wanted, but doodles of my family quickly took over the pages. I soon took my interest in drawing out of the counseling packet into my own notebooks and sheets of printing paper. I began doodling and coloring flowers and made up people created by combinations of physical features I liked. The pages soon took over my room and all of my schoolwork, as well as my free time. I began to receive art supplies from family members, and I quickly realized that I wanted to work with art for the rest of my life. I’m attending college for graphic design, in hopes to get important and impactful messages out there one day as an art director for advertisements and campaigns. My passion for art has gotten me through hardships in life as well as gaining skills along the way. I believe that there is an aspect of relatability in the media that is incredibly important for people to have access to, no matter what they are going through. I know that when I was younger, seeing media that I could relate to would brighten up my day and make me feel not so alone. All someone can do is push through their adversities and never give up because there are always brighter days ahead.

Growing up I've always wanted to relate to others, especially when I felt like nothing more than an alien. Although, it quickly became hard for me to feel seen once my dad passed away when I was six years old, leaving my mom and I alone. People would ask about him often, and every time the same statement came out of their mouths, "I'm sorry about your dad," my heart would break a little more, and my eyes would fill up with tears once again. The only person I knew as a true male figure in my life vanished before my eyes, and because of my age, I could barely understand what happened. I'm a very emotional person. When I would sit on my old fruit punch-stained couch in the living room, watching commercials on TV, I would feel a special connection to the ones that pulled at my heartstrings. Specifically, those animal shelter commercials that would display lost dogs and cats without families. In a way, I saw myself in the advertisements. I would put myself in their place, and imagine being locked in a kennel, waiting to be taken to a warm and loving house to become the center of attention. However, I was almost in the same situation when I compared myself to my peers. As far as I knew, they had both of their parents and maybe even some siblings. The only people taking up space in my house were myself and my mom. I soon began to use art as a way to express myself. I'd ask my mom for art supplies for Christmas, and that's what I would receive. She never really knew what I would do with them, though. She'd ask constantly, "Can I see what you're drawing?" I always denied her request because of the guilt and embarrassment in my stomach just from imagining her reaction. I still felt alone then, and I didn't have the bravery in me to be the first to express how I felt, even though they were my emotions. However, I eventually faced my fears and started showing people my creations. I still felt a little embarrassed, but the weight of this big "secret" I had was off of my shoulders. Art has stuck with me ever since, and I'm now going into graphic design to spread messages one day to help people feel seen, as I did on the old couch all those years ago. It's not uncommon for people to feel alone. I've spoken with my friends and seen media online of people or characters expressing those same emotions. However, seeing and hearing about people feeling the same way you do can make you realize you're not alone. There's a comforting sense of relatability that comes with online media. No matter who you are, there's always something or someone out there that's meant for you. I believe that art and music are important to society so people can feel seen, whether it's shared experiences or cultural significance, it's vital for a person's happiness to be seen and relatable. I know that when I was younger, and still to this day, I dreamed of being the target audience for something. Many kids and other people worldwide have that dream, and the arts are one of the easiest and quickest ways to make those dreams come true.

While I do plan on attending college for graphic design, acrylic will always hold a special place in my heart. It is my favorite medium to work with. I’ve been working with the medium for so long just because that paint is easy to access, but also I just enjoy using it. I feel fulfilled painting with acrylic paint. Some of my earliest memories painting come from my aunt. My mom’s sister, Cindy, is an artist. While she specializes in pour paintings, she also does traditional acrylic paintings. No matter what she creates, however, is insanely beautiful. She has always acted as my number one supporter, which is something I will forever be grateful for. She helped me sell prints of my art a few years back, and is willing to help with anything she can. Cindy also loves to give my mom and me, as well as other relatives, pour paintings she has done. Whenever I enter my families’ houses, I see her artwork displayed and think about the impact she’s been able to put in their daily lives with just a canvas. I hope to be able to give that same feeling to others with my creations one day. Over the years, both with my aunt’s help and personal development, I have been able to watch myself grow as an artist. I used to hide old paintings I started and never finished because I was embarrassed of them. However, I still can’t tell if the embarrassment came from how I did not like the style of the artwork, or if it was because it was simply unfinished. While I do wish I could finish every piece I start out of curiosity and passion, it’s impossible. I do acknowledge that it is normal to not finish everything, and to even be unhappy with how the art you create turns out from time to time. They are normal human emotions everyone feels at one point or another, and art has helped me recognize those emotions and ones similar. I have learned a lot about myself through art. From the support I receive from my family and friends, to the growth I’ve seen in myself over the years, I feel proud of myself. I am pleased with how much I’ve seen myself grow, both as a person and an artist. No matter what, art truly has helped me through plenty of the aspects of life.

Chappell Roan’s music has gave nothing less of a positive impact on my life. If I’m completely honest, I discovered her music only at the start of 2024. However, I instantly fell in love with her vibe. I began indulging her music on repeat. Her lyrics, instrumentals, and general aesthetics cling to me like no other. One way she sticks to my heart is how relatable she is. As a queer person in the midwest, I see myself in a lot of her lyrics. In a way, who she displays herself as is like a visual of my heart. As well as her relatability, how open she is with her struggles that stem from rising quickly to fame is incredibly brave, which is something else I look up to. It feels refreshing to see a new celebrity bringing awareness to the realities of becoming famous. Before I discovered her, I had a hard time finding an artist I truly saw myself in. While a few words here and there from other singers were relatable, Roan is like no other. Along with her relatability, her stage presence is incredible. I watched her perform live at Hangout Music Festival 2024, and it proved to be one of the best sets I saw that weekend. The way she managed to get the crowd so engaged blew my mind, not to mention how large the crowd was when she wasn’t even headlining. That performance helped me discover my current favorite song of her’s, Picture You. The way she managed to sing so breathe I fully during the ballad with her vocal flips was outstanding. Her live voice sounds just like her studio recordings, adding onto why I admire her so much. Chappell Roan has showed me a new side of the music industry that was much needed. I love how relatable and open she is about her struggles with her rise to fame. The cherry on top is how fantastic she is performing live, especially with her unique outfits. Her quick rise to fame has helped me discover a new favorite artist of mine, and many other’s as well.