I’ve come to recognize I was always an embodiment of art, even before I had a language for it. As a child, I was hyper-fixated on art performance (especially shows like Solstrom), using fashion as self-expression or found myself getting lost in creating in art class. Yet, like many Black children, I was discouraged from seeing art as a career choice. When our livelihood is built on survival, financial stability becomes the deciding factor in choosing a career. My instinctual desire to create was suppressed, which eventually led to suppressing my true self. Everything shifted when I saw Wangechi Mutu’s Mama Ray for the first time; it invoked this spirit of ancestral co-existence. It was more than familiarity, it felt a portal for me inviting me to look inwards to heal and remember the parts I had buried. At the time, I was reading the book Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, and it highlighted the parallels of humans, nature, and mammals are all under the same oppressive systems. This body of work awakened a new understanding of art as a transformative power. Art is how I find understanding of myself and the world around me. The act of creation is my way to practice personal liberation. My style and subjects are always fluctuating based on what I’m learning. What is always central to my work is using art as a mirror to find or investigate personal narratives that allow others to uncover their own power. I dream of making art that fosters autonomy and personal sustainable growth. Currently, I’m deep in a series titled “Kinfolk,” where I explore the interconnectedness of species and our shared stories of survival and resilience. I investigate how marine mammals are hunted and surveilled by the same oppressive systems that impact Black people. In this series, I paint hybrid beings of part Black human and part aquatic form as a metaphor to show the shared experience of being endangered species. I view these beings as ancestors who chose the sea over enslavement. I’m focused on painting what it looks like to rename yourself and imagine new possibilities. What inspires me most is using art as a tool for repair and a means to practice radical imagination. In a world that often feels harmful, art becomes a way to envision new possibilities and ways of being. I envision my work to be an invitation for others to examine their own relationships with their ancestors, themselves, and community. My work is rooted in the belief that art can be a form of resistance and care. I’m building worlds with new narratives, where care for all is centered, where all species can co-exist, where Black joy, imagination, and liberation already exist. By others living in their authenticity visibly I was able see myself. I aim to do the same. I pursue art because it gives me the space to transform both myself and the communities I’m in.

As a second-generation Ivorian-American, I had to navigate between two worlds. At home, everything evolved around community. My father tended to our land, which not only fed us but also our neighbors as well. But school was different. There, I learned how to repress and shrink myself to fit in. For years, I felt completely lost in my academic direction. I loved mechanical engineering, but I was also drawn to environmental studies and visual arts. I couldn't figure out how to choose just one path. Then my grandfather told me something that changed everything: "When you're lost, help someone." During the pandemic, I worked as a tech instructor supporting older adults (many of whom were immigrants) to navigate unfamiliar digital platforms. I taught them how to schedule virtual doctor appointments, connect with family, and access groceries. I witnessed their frustration, anxiety, and fear in tackling this giant new world of technology. Watching these elders struggle with devices designed without any consideration for their needs sparked a need to fill a gap. Their challenges revealed a fundamental flaw in how we create technology. This led to my first research project examining algorithmic bias in healthcare platforms. I discovered that many telehealth systems had facial recognition features that performed poorly on darker skin tones, and voice recognition that struggled with accented English. I presented these findings at the 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium, where my paper "Digital Divides: How Healthcare Technology Fails Immigrant Communities" received the Outstanding Research Award. As I listened to stories from my cousins back in Côte d’Ivoire about changing damaged crops, I recognized how climate change harms communities with the fewest resources. I was offered a scholarship to study ethnobotany, where I worked alongside Indigenous communities to study ecological knowledge. My fieldwork resulted in a database of 50+ medicinal plants used by West African communities. This caught the attention of AI4Abolition, where I now volunteer as both researcher and designer. I've helped build two different tech products shaped by community input and accessibility. The tools I've developed focus on identifying racial bias in data science applications. Currently, I have three academic research papers under review that highlight algorithmic disparities harming Black and immigrant communities. My most recent paper, "Participatory AI Research and Development to Support Transformative Approaches to Justice and Community Safety," has been accepted for publication in the Collective Intelligence 2025 conference. I presented this research at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering. Being Ivorian has also influenced my approach to learning. I was a witness to knowledge shared through storytelling. I've learned that wisdom is woven into our daily rituals with each other, tending to our land, and the meals we share. This has enriched my academic journey, helping me see STEM as something that can integrate multiple disciplines and perspectives. Receiving the Dr. Soronnadi Nnaji Legacy Scholarship would allow me to strengthen my clear vision of building products (digitally and physically) designed for the community's needs. This scholarship would help cover the cost of tuition and school materials that are critical for my studies. I’m currently pursuing a dual major in Integrated Design and Environmental Studies. My ambition and clear vision are vital for the future of STEM. My community reminds me that excellence is by lifting others as you rise. I am committed to serving my community and honoring my heritage. In the end, I’m no longer confused about my academic career because I follow my curiosity and my community.

I'm Rachael Ames, and this fall I'll be starting my dual degree in Integrated Design and Environmental Studies at The New School. I find peace in the ocean while surfing and clarity on hiking trails! This year I’ve explored three national parks. I volunteer with a local surfing community providing free surf lessons to anyone interested. Recently, I welcomed two rescued kittens, Logan and Flora, into my life, and they've reminded me daily about small acts of care. I’m a self-taught learner and student of life as I found difficulty accessing a higher education in my youth. Now I’m on the journey back to school with a ignited purpose. This began from a simple observation: watching my grandmother struggle with technology that wasn't designed with her in mind. This experience led me to work as a tech instructor, helping older adults navigate digital spaces that often felt overwhelming. I witnessed their anxiety as they learned to video call family members, schedule medical appointments online, or order groceries because of health concerns during the pandemic. Supporting them in these moments, my heart ached recognizing how many products are built without considering the people who need them most. These relationships with my students transformed my understanding of design's impact. My relationships with my students, much like the connections I've built teaching surfing have taught me that trust is built through patience, understanding, and meeting people where they are. Whether I'm helping someone catch their first wave or navigate their first smartphone, everything is built off the same foundation of genuine care for their experience and respect for their perspective. Currently, I volunteer with a non-profit organization researching how to build online spaces that prioritize community well-being. Relationships are imperative to me because they shape my understanding of myself, teach me how to love and care for others, and give me purpose. My grandmother's struggles with technology weren't just about apps and websites, they were about staying connected to family and maintaining independence. I learned that this was larger than design problems but human problems that require solutions built of a deep level of care over profit. This scholarship would provide the financial stability I need to fully focus on my studies while continuing my community work. Currently I’m self-funding my education and have to balance multiple commitments with research and volunteer opportunities that could expand my impact. My burning desire for the future centers on designing spaces (both digital and physical) that foster genuine community connections. I approach design with empathy and centering relationships in everything I create. I dream to build a more connected, inclusive world where everyone can thrive. It would be an honor to carry Thomas's legacy of kindness and compassion throughout my studies.

Art has always been more than creative expression for me; it is a powerful tool for collective and personal liberation, storytelling, and community building. As a researcher working with a nonprofit organization in the abolitionist movement, I have witnessed firsthand how the visual arts can transform narratives, challenge systems of oppression, and create spaces where marginalized voices are not only heard but also centered. My plan to give back to youth in under-resourced communities centers on using visual arts to curate liberatory spaces that empower young people to envision and create the futures they deserve. Growing up in an under-resourced community myself, I understand the barriers that limit access to artistic opportunities. As a Black American choosing a career based on desires over money wasn't an option when school is meant to save you from poverty. My own talent wasn't nurtured and even discouraged and I decided to go to school for survival instead of chasing my dreams and desires. I ended up dropping out of school. Now after spending time with my community and rediscovering my talents, I'm going back to school to not only focus on visual arts but how they can be applied in the broader context of empowerment and healing. This personal journey from unrecognized potential to academic building to community reconnection is what fuels my commitment to ensuring that the next generation has the opportunities and support I wish I had received earlier. Through my work in the abolitionist movement, I have learned that true liberation requires reimagining our communities from the ground up. Visual arts serve as both a mirror and blueprint in reflecting our current realities while helping us design new possibilities. My biggest ambition in the arts is to curate liberatory spaces that nurture diverse forms of creative expression, growth, and sustainability. I envision these spaces as dynamic hubs where adaptable artistic modes are fostered in environments of continuous evolution and mutual support. By embracing an organic, adaptive approach, I aim to cultivate platforms responsive to community needs while remaining flexible to changing cultural landscapes. These curated environments will foster artistic innovation, cultural preservation, and social transformation, facilitating intergenerational knowledge transfer and encouraging experimental collaborations. Through this work, I strive to contribute to a broader movement of artistic practice deeply rooted in community, committed to social justice, and capable of imagining and manifesting more equitable futures. My vision extends beyond individual empowerment to community transformation. When young people are equipped with proper resources, a safe environment and mentorship they become agents of change in their own communities. The communities I work with are not just populations I serve, but they are communities I am part of and accountable to. This insider perspective ensures that my visions will be culturally responsive, co-created with the community, and focused on invaluable resources. Young people will be collaborators in designing these initiatives, not just recipients of services. By curating liberatory spaces where creativity meets consciousness, we can nurture a generation of artist-activists who will continue the work of building more just and equitable communities for all.