I have always loved helping people, whether it be helping dad put together something new for the house, talking and spending time with my grandmother, or helping my friends because I want them to see as much succeed in everything they do even if life isn't treating them the best. All of those things genuinely make me happy and make me feel like I'm doing something good and that's truly all I need but on a wider scale I hadn't realized how impactful volunteering was in helping those in need until I tried it myself. My first experience volunteering was a fundraiser where I cheered on bikers who were riding to support the fight for diabetes and living a healthier lifestyle. The atmosphere was so supportive and while I was just cheering people on I felt the community there, everyone acknowledged each other and no matter our background we all came to support this cause. My next experience volunteering was over the course of many weeks. I volunteered for a Christian ministry that was also a thrift store, it was here that I helped so many like directing the homeless to people who could genuinely help them by providing food and shelter. I sorted through donations that people from babies all the way to adults would be able to wear if they were ever in need of clothing and other items such as shoes and toys. With it being a Christian ministry there were certain items that could not be kept because they were too revealing or had too many tears in them but even those went to other places that could take them. It was at that place that I learned that some of the very items I was sorting through were also being donated to kids and families around the world in Africa, Peru and other countries who may need it more. I had never realized how big an impact people who volunteered made and how they could change the word through what seemed like small actions to take. I also want to add a personal anecdote that happened at work that I think volunteering influenced. At my job where I work as the cashier for KFC/ Taco bell a homeless guy came in and said he hadn't eaten in days and asked if we had anything to help him because he was really hungry. I went to my managers and asked if we could help him out, but they said we couldn't but I noticed a bag of unopened bread in the office and at the volunteering place I mentioned earlier we would give out bread for free to families in a basket. So I asked my managers what about the unopened bread in the office and they were like yeah that is actually a really good idea and give him some butter as well. I instantly felt so much better after that, I do question if the man was really homeless because the first thing he asked was "no chicken?" but if he wasn't faking it then I'm still glad I helped him.

It was as if I was hit but the Imperius curse and suddenly felt compelled to read. I was not much of a reader until I read Harry Potter, reading about Harry living a semi- regular life and basically being punished for simply existing was compelling but then to realize he was being lied to his whole life and was actually a wizard, now that should really hook anyone. I was aware that Harry Potter existed, but I come from a very Christian household and just generally a Christian country with our parishes or states all being named after a disciple of Jesus for the most part. So, you can probably imagine that anything to do with magic or spirits was not tolerated or typically avoided. It was not until the age of 13 that I got to read the Sorcerer's stone, at first that was the only one I was allowed to read because my mom did not want me getting too involved in the books as she heard they got darker the further they went. She did let me watch the movie right after I read the first and originally, I found myself enjoying the movie just as much or even more than the book because of the fantastic casting and how even if there was a slight difference in how I pictured the character, all of them perfectly suit their personas. I quickly fell in love with Maggie Smith's Professor McGonagall because of the strict but kind aura she exuded towards Harry and generally the students of Hogwarts. After that it was so good that I wanted to read the second and had to beg, and my wish was granted which got even more hooked. Eventually I got to book 4 or the Goblet of Fire and that was my personal favorite because it really expanded on the magical world showing us the viewer or reader the mythical creatures that exist as well as how sports bring togetherness and community in all types of worlds and specifically through Quidditch in Harry Potter. For The Goblet of Fire, I hadn't seen the movie yet at the time knowing I would have to probably beg and being that far in the books I was not certain I would get to watch it so I got to the point of looking up Harry Potter Gifs to get some imagery from the movies so I could validate my thoughts on how the Hungarian Horntail dragon would look and I can definitely say I was not disappointed. At some point between then and now I have been allowed to watch all the Harry Potter movies and with my family too so that made it so much better and also read all of the books. As I said earlier Goblet of Fire was my favorite, but it seems like in all of the books there is more detail than in the movie is which is quite common, but it has caused me to prefer the books more. In the books things are more clearly explained like exactly what happened to Neville's parents and where they are, but in the movies, we only get a photograph making it much less emotional. Also, people who just watched the movie would probably find Dumbledor more frustrating because they don't know as much about his backstory or why he does what he does in order to protect Harry and ultimately Hogwarts. Ultimately, I see the movies as a way to capture the visual magic of Harry Potter and the books a gateway into the intricate lore.

Growing up in Barbados access to the latest games and consoles were almost impossible unless you received them straight from the United States and who knows how long that could take. There was a time I thought the best way to experience a different world was through the magic of movies and toys, but then my stepdad introduced me Ratchet and Clank on the Ps3. I had heard of the PlayStation before and had even seen it in the mall I lived close by, but I never asked for it knowing it was definitely expensive. What I did not know was my dad had one and it had games that would forever change my life. When he first introduced me to Ratchet and Clank, I was in awe, it not only beautiful but the characters were memorable and had humor for all ages to enjoy. At the time I did not know what it was called, but I was in love with Ratchet's character design, not only did it perfectly fit his name since he owned a huge ratchet but also because of his clothing which was very much like a worker or engineer with the gloves and work boots. Unlike Captain Quark another one of the heroes who has a flashy outfit and the stereotypical build of a hero, Ratchet's design was almost subtle or ordinary which made me like him more as a hero. Later I would be given a Nintendo Ds and a tablet, on the Ds I mainly remember playing Mario Kart and although I wasn't very good at that time this helped me gain a greater appreciation for world building as well as character art once again. My favorite places being Cheep Cheep beach and Luigi's mansion because of their unique racetracks. Meanwhile, on the tablet I would download many games and experiment to see what I liked better and figure out why I liked them. Some were as complex in their gameplay like Minecraft where I had to figure out how thing worked in this alternate pixelated world, as simple as a stickman game that you would bump into each other to fight, or as ludicrous as playing as a knock off spiderman who got in trouble with the law and was going to be killed by any means necessary for walking into a police car (Rope hero). By experiencing these different genres, I was better able to find my niche and figure out where I want to go as both a gamer and artist. These games inspired me in following the dream of being a concept artist, as a concept artist, I could make these characters and environments I admire so much and maybe even inspire the next game developer, artist, or any other creative working in the video game industry by being part of a great team.

I plan to pursue a major in a BFA in Studio Art. Already attaining my AA from Valencia College through dual enrollment as well as getting my diploma from Harmony High school I plan to transfer to UCF where I will also be using Osceola Prosper as either a way to gain certification at OTech with adobe software which would help me with my career of wanting to be a conceptual artist or I will use prosper as a way to complete additional art classes at Valencia College which would lower the amount of classes I have to take as well as lower my potential tuition for those classes. This scholarship would definitely aid me in my journey as a college student and help me achieve my dreams faster. As a conceptual artist I plan to translate my ideas through visual media and create art that will be used in films or even videogames. Very little credit goes directly to the artist behind the scenes that create memorable landscapes and characters that we often reference but without these artists our view of pop culture would be completely different. With a career like this I won't only be able to express myself creatively but possibly inspire all types of people through the media I create. Not just creatives like artist or authors but possibly a whole new generation of people who are inspired by the latest videogame or film. It is easy to look at this as just some type of media but especially in society today and with the advancement of technology media changes lives.

True love takes strong communication and coordination even in the most difficult of situations. Imagine a game where contestants and their partners are chained together and have to navigate through survivor like challenges. The first stage is an easy warm up where couples race each other to the second stage, there are beams placed at random in the sand that if the couples try going in separate directions, they will get snagged on a beam but only for a few seconds. Stage 2 involves another set of beams but this time they jut out the water and have platforms big enough for 4 people to get on, it is yet another race, but this requires more coordination and if you fall into the water, you start over. I also should add other players can sabotage you by bushing you off. Stage 3 is a little more brain heavy, in this you solve a jumbo puzzle that creates a map of the course and there are x's approximately where the keys are buried in a sandbox. All the keys unlock any of the chains, so it doesn't matter who gets what key. Before you can unlock yourself and your partner you must crawl under a large net to get to the end where the host waits for you and once you reach the host you can unlock the chains. First to get there is the winner and they receive a trip to a private island with an all you can eat BBQ and refillable tropical drinks as the look at the oncoming tropical sunset.

365 days of never-ending partying I would say my favorite song from the brat album is 365 because it just exudes a club type atmosphere. I always imagine myself bumping that in the club to this song. Anytime I hear it I just want to get up and dance. Anytime I really enjoy a song I look at the YouTube music comments to share my vibe with everyone else and I will never forget this guy named James who said he was going feral to this song and honestly while deemed an overreaction it was quite valid. From the background music to the lyrics 365 has to be one of my favorite party songs ever. I may not be part girl, but I will forever be bumping that to Charlie XCX's songs. My friends are also big fans so my ideal time with them would either be in a club, ideally once we're all over the age of 18 dancing to 365, apple, and talk talk or simply attending a concert of hers which would be equally fun. Last thing I really appreciate the simplicity of how she names her albums, like they all mean something to her and while all other artists may just put part 2 to an album when it has variety Charlie will have the album cover saying, " brat but it's completely different" and the whole album cover is like flipped and well completely different. Thank you, Charlie, for your fantastic music.

Billie Eilish just has a way of singing that makes you start reflecting on situations in your life that either brought you some of the happiest memories or almost indescribable emotional pain. I love almost every song by her but the ones that resonate with me the most are Ocean Eyes, No Time to Die, and What Was I Made For. Any time I hear Billie's music it is like I am taken away from the present moment and either reflecting on a past scenario with an ex of mine or I am in a totally made-up reality where I experience exactly what she is describing. Before I get into why these specific songs resonate with me so deeply, I just want to say that I knew I listened to Billie quite a bit, but when my Spotifty wrapped came out I was quite shocked. Not only was she my top artist at #1 but also, apparently, I was in the top 10% of her listeners. So, I first want to start with the song that I play on repeat, No Time to Die. In this song Billie explains the betrayal and loss of losing someone you love, a feeling many people can relate to. I personally felt this in my last relationship where my ex and I started to grow distant and not nearly two days after my birthday she broke up with me and made a bunch of excuses like my personality was "too goofy" and my career "wouldn't have us at equal pay" and yet I still think about her all the time. All of that aside this song just represents that feeling of betrayal even when you love someone so dearly. My second was Ocean eyes, this song describes that feeling of never-ending love as you stare into your partners eyes. I'm sure many of us have been in love or at least what feels like love and all you want to do is stare at your significant other and get lost into their existence. With Ocean eyes I feel like I am taken either to a memory of the past or in a whole new scenario where I have found my other half, and I stare into their limitless eyes preparing to venture into the future with them till death do us part. My last song was What Was I Made For, in this song Billie explores that feeling of lacking self-understanding or in other words questioning your purpose in the world. I often feel this and wonder if I will even amount to anything, I try to be the person who lifts everyone else up before themselves, but I often question if I will have any impact even with the people in my close circle or when I'm gone will I just become another statistic to join the 60 million people who pass away every year. Just like Billie I often kept these thoughts to myself but recently I have begun to open up more about my feelings and see that things weigh less heavily on you if you just let someone know what you're going through. ‘I’d rather be tortured inside but have somebody think that I’m cool, than have somebody think that I’m hysterical and actually express my feelings.’ So many songs on this album reflect that realization of, like, ‘Maybe I’m obsessed with the idea of nonchalance.’”- Billie Eilish

Minecraft was never just a videogame to me; it was an experience where I could craft my own journeys and storylines as well as learn a variety of new skills and discover an endless possibility of tricks. My favorite aspect, other than fire aspect is the ability to collaborate with friends online and make a whole narrative by simply creating or surviving. I fondly remember one occasion where my friends Darryan, tall Gabe, short Gabe, Joey, and Redshot were all having a player versus player battle where we were finding out who was the best fighter in Minecraft. I instigated this fight because I asked who the best fighter was out of all of us. As a result, full war broke out and we all pretty much died except for Redshot, who killed most of us with fire from flint and steel and a sword Since all of us had died we did not have any items with us and night quickly approached. So even though some people were grumpy from losing we all came together and made a plan on how we would survive the night. In this plan there would be one builder who would build a shelter out of whatever materials they could find, one crafter who would make the materials for the builder and the rest of the team, and four defenders who defended the builder and crafter To this day I don't know if because there were so many of us in one world or if it was just my chance, but there were so many mobs coming at us at once. Zombies were coming left and right, there were a few skeletons, and we saw about 2-3 creepers coming our way. Gabe and Joey stayed back to craft and build, and me and the others charged to fight the oncoming mobs. Having no weapons I used my fist to kill the first few and whatever loot they dropped I gathered it and used whatever I could whether it was rotting flesh or as we called it zombie meat or bones to finish my enemies. The rest stuck to their roles, and we did have to recover a few times because Joey and Tall Gabe were killed my creepers at one point. In the end we bounced back and created the shelter, and everyone was safe as we waited for day to come. This experience showed me that Minecraft can really bring out some of the best collaboration and support between people, although a lot of us did not take our loss well, we still decided to push that aside and work together when things mattered. In a way this is very representative of how things are in the real world, even though we may not get along with everyone, it is important that we do what needs to be done when it comes down to it.

Netflix offers so many great shows and movies and it really is a tough choice to choose just one, but my choice would be Cobra Kai. This show is absolutely bingeable because of its constant feuds, romances, and variety of characters. Cobra Kai is supposed to be a continuation of the original Karate Kid franchise, starring some of the previous cast from the original series. One thing I love about this show is that even if you don't remember or have not watched the Karate Kid series it is still very easy to follow and understand because there are constant flashbacks and reminders of why things are the way they are. It also has a diverse cast who you can relate with and root for or even despise throughout the series. This series really lets you see that some characters are just misunderstood while others are pure evil and that there is a certain mindset that you should keep, which is the be strong and confident but never be cocky and use that power to hurt others. This show will constantly have you rooting for people you expected to hate and bring a laugh out of you in almost every single episode. As mentioned above the romance is also a strong attention grabber with the teenage characters experiencing their first relationships and navigating the drama that comes with them. For as long as I can remember, I have loved shows with competition as sportsmanship as one of their main elements, I can guarantee you that if you were to watch Cobra Kai you would feel the confidence and growth these characters undergo, and it may even inspire you to be more confident as strong as a person. Sensei Johnny Lawrence once said, “I may not always win, but I never back out of a fight.” This quote may seem simple on the surface but really it is very deep. Johnny has suffered so much in the beginning, from his loss of the match with Daniel Larusso to family issues and his living conditions. If anything, I take this quote as a lesson, what I learned from it is that in life you are bound to lose many times, it is absolutely inevitable, but you can't let that stop you, you must keep on pushing no matter how much it may hurt or bring you down. If you don't get back up and keep fighting, can you really ever win?

One of the first things my parents instilled in me growing up was that I needed to find a career, something I genuinely love to do and could see myself doing for the rest of my life. For years I struggled to find what that was for me. I considered whether I would be a good chef because I cook food for my family, I wondered if I could ever be a pilot, firefighter, or even a policeman. While all of these are amazing occupations I just never felt it was for me, what sparked my interest was when a friend drew one of my favorite anime characters for me and I asked myself if he could do this, why couldn't I? So I would hang out with him and a couple of his friends at lunch and we would all be drawing, The only thing was I was terrible at drawing and it started to feel like my presence in that group was only to be laughed at for my poor art. One day my parents asked me if I found my career path yet and I told them about my interest in art, even though I was horrible at it. So they sent me on a task to draw something, and I chose one of the shoes I had on my shoe rack, I came back and showed them what I had done, feeling impressed with myself and they were very upset, they said: "you know that is not the best you can do, don't come back until you draw it properly". That day I worked for hours and hours on that single shoe and even cried out of frustration from my struggling. When I came back I had really tried my best and you could see the effort I put into making that shoe. This was the moment I realized I really could be an artist if I kept trying and trying to get better. That experience taught me that if I can push past any doubts in my mind I can keep improving as an artist and a person. I want others to realize this mainly in the art field but generally everywhere in their life. I hope with the many connections I will make growing up that I can share this mentality with others so we can both grow. I don't believe following this mentality alone will help me become a better artist, it will definitely require lots of practice and I personally believe for me mentoring. My last art class was in 9th grade and I am about to become a senior. Since I am dual enrolled I will be taking a load of art classes at a college level, but once I'm out the program I'll need all the money I can get to be able to take more art classes towards a BFA in Studio Arts. Any support would be deeply appreciated,thank you.

I want to be an inspiration. I started off my art process with no skill or talent at all, my art went from something where you had to guess what it was to something that you could actually identify. I want to inspire anyone young or old that they too can achieve if they keep working at what they want to do. I don't believe that I will become a perfect artist or better than everyone else, that's simply unrealistic and impossible. I have learned from art that it is a constant process of visual improvement and while I may eventually become very skilled with time, there is always something to learn. Two things started my interest in this craft, they were ridicule and motivation. Back in middle school I sat at a table with a group of friends who were all about drawing, and I felt like I wanted to be included so I joined them in drawing at the lunch table. It very quickly became obvious that my art was the joke of the table. That happened around 6th grade, later on in 8th grade during the pandemic I took an art class and received both positive feedback and notes for improvement in my art. I created things I had never could have two years prior (looking back on it some of the things weren't that great but there was definite improvement). Then when my parents asked me if I knew what I wanted my career to be and I told them animation at the time, ( it is illustration now) they challenged me to draw something and with tough love told me that I could do better, so I tried and tried until I really had done my best and that taught me that I should never feel limited with my artistic skill and I can always do better. My dream is to become an illustrator who can tell stories with my art and inspire others to become great artist even if they don't feel like they have "the talent". I am on track for the challenge of taking three college art classes in one semester as a high school student, but I believe this with the addition of daily practice will help me so much as an artist. So while I am afraid of the possible work load I'm excited to see my improvement.

I must say this was a very hard choice as there are two animes I have watched countless times over many seasons, watching it in both English and Japanese, as I know a lot of anime fans would not do (since they typically prefer Japanese... excluding Dragon Ball). After going through a mental battle of whether I wanted to say Demon Slayer or My Hero Academia, I chose the latter. Why My Hero Academia? As a student, I watched this anime and grew as the characters grew in their own sense. I started My Hero back in 2018, so two years after it aired, my dad introduced it to me and it was always something we would watch together, around season 2 or 3 we thought it was so good that we even got my mom to join in. Right, so as I was saying being a student and watching Izuku Midoriya (Deku), who wanted to go to his dream school get accepted and overcome all types of obstacles from childhood frenemies, meeting his role model All might, to the broken bones, it always filled me with a sense of pride for this fictional character. At the beginning of his school year, Deku overcame many obstacles by using his brain, which may make you say that's cool and all, but don't a lot of people do that too? Well yeah, but what is different about My Hero is it is based on a society where almost everyone has superpowers and originally, he did not until he met his role model All Might, who would become his mentor. Typically, once you are born with a power that's it, but this wasn't the case for All Might's power, he could transfer it, and Deku being powerless at the time was able to receive it. Now that that was explained, back to him using his brain. So, these powers he received from All Might were quite challenging to conquer. Deku found when he would do things like All Might, there would be so much force in it that he would break his bones. Now I will provide an example where he was known for using his brain more than anything, I honestly can't remember if it was called the Entrance Exam or Sports Festival, but I can describe what happened in detail. It all started when Deku was running a race with other students through various obstacles like robots and landmines. Everyone was using their powers to fight these robots and trying to find a way past the landmines. His two classmates Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki were in the lead, Bakugo using his explosive powers to fly across the course, and Todoroki using his ice powers to slide right over the landmines. Deku very close to last place decided to gather the landmines, which had highly explosive power, but not enough to kill you...gathered a ton of them in a huge pile and used part of the robot's body as a sled. This part excites me the most, he then flew possibly hundreds of meters and then landed on Todoroki's and Bakugo's backs who were neck, and neck, and then slammed the robot's armor into the last set of placed landmines sending him forward, where he tumbled into a run and came first! Throughout the series, Deku figures out he has been using his powers all wrong, and that he's been imitating his role model, but really the power is his to figure out. This anime has taught me, that if you can put your mind to it, anything is possible. .

Typically, I am the kind of person who loves movies with a lot of violence, and stunts. These bring me that momentary joy of seeing a hero or (sometimes anti-hero) break all types of boundaries to reach a certain goal. Although this is usually my go-to, the movie that had the biggest impact on my life was Barbie. Yes, you read that correctly. Going into it, I actually did not expect it, my dad called me and my mom to watch a movie and told us to close our eyes (as he usually does, as we are frequent movie watchers). I also must add that the Spider-Verse movie had come out recently, so I had hopes that it was Spider-Verse, but anyways after realizing it was Barbie my heart dropped a little, but I told myself I would give it a fair chance. Not even 2 minutes into the movie I see a little girl and a random gigantic Barbie, and this was the moment I knew, it was going to be a long ride...Or so I thought. As the movie progressed, I saw that the Barbies (Kens included), and Humans live in completely different worlds and that societal norms are essentially reversed. This piqued my interest, as I always knew that Barbies were considered what we would call today " girl bosses", but this film illustrated that in an incredible way. From the Regular Barbie, all the way to the President Barbie, it really showed that a woman could be whatever she wanted to be, no matter her background, appearance, or status, as long as she dreamed it, she could be it. I feel like now would be a good time to talk about the Kens. This part will be kind of short as there originally was not a lot to contribute. The Kens' whole purpose in the beginning was to be dependent on the Barbies and for the most part, try to impress them. Anyways, in this almost perfect society, there must come some point where you might start to question what may happen if things weren't so perfect, and this question leads our main character Barbie to take a quest to go to the real world. At this point I'm sure we have heard this combination of words, or some variation of it, " the real world isn't easy". So being the viewer we know that this Barbie is about to face some challenges, luckily Ken (her Ken, I guess you can call it) came to accompany her. So, in visiting the real world she realizes that women aren't valued as much as they should be, that the world is full of manipulation and that there are many double standards in this world. Meanwhile, Ken realizes that he likes the idea of a male-dominated society and takes that back home while Barbie is away in the real world. This works at first, with many of the Barbies being brainwashed into joining this society, but then with the help of the regular Barbie, they realize that a society where men or women completely control everything is not plausible and decide to have a society where everyone can live how they want to, and do not always feel the need to rely on each other, as they can just be happy with themselves. I feel like this had to greatest impact on my life because it showed that we may all have our insecurities, especially us high schoolers, trying to fit in, but as long as we work on ourselves and are happy with ourselves, we can conquer anything.