“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” is an anime that I can keep coming back to over and over again, and it’s because of how well they handle the question, “how can someone put a value on human life?” I enjoy stories that delve into the effects and psychology of war, and this anime does it very well in how it writes all the characters with their own motives and goals that end up affecting the other characters and therefore changes the plot as a whole. It can be difficult to keep track a lot of characters while each of their respective stories compelling and relevant to the ongoing story, but by highlighting the importance of community and learning about those you were taught to be your enemy, it only reinforces the initial question of the value of human life and how every single person has their own world and it is not any more or less important than your own. And so, by forcing these characters to learn about each other, for better or for worse, they are exposed to the wide range of problems that everyday people face and it moves them forwards to think about things besides themselves. Even the antagonists form and uphold relationships that go beyond their initial orders to work with each other for the sake of completing an outside goal. This anime illustrates the importance of knowing the whole story, and recognizing just how easy it is to manipulate people into violence and prejudice, and furthermore how important it is to recognize the possible prejudices that you need to work through with yourself. The characters are consistent and believable, even if their actions are questionable, and for those characters that seem to be “aimless” they are still aware of their actions and the consequences that come with them, and as such, they serve as a great contrast to the characters that have such hard set goals that they have trouble imagining others not having the same as them, let alone any at all. Consequence is the driving force of this story, and it does an incredible job at showing that even if you have grown from a mistake, it does not mean that all the consequences from it have been served already. To be aware of what you are doing and how harmful it is, and still choose it can manifest in detrimental ways, regardless of your initial intention. Intention is not the same as impact. The themes of guilt, revenge, grief, hate, and love are beautifully blended to highlight how they really aren’t mutually exclusive and just how easy it is to morph from one to another, regardless of how “convenient” it may be to you at the time. The effects and consequences of these feelings have ever-lasting impacts and never just thrown in for shock factor. The intersectionality of all of these things is never forgotten, even in the lighthearted moments, but still remains a well-balanced and well-paced story. I wouldn’t consider Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to be an anime to consume in passing, but as a completed anime under 100 episodes, it has a clear beginning, middle, and end, and there is so much to take from it in terms of visuals, music, morals, and overall entertainment. This is why I can keep coming back to it, and why I will continue to praise this anime, it is simply a timeless piece of media.

If there is one book that I see as a priority to have on my bookshelf, it would be "The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller. I was originally drawn to this book because of my interest in both Greek mythology and queer fiction, and so having only known the general story of Achilles’ death, I was interested to know what the story of his life would look like. This book is truly an amazing piece of writing, but I feel that is only further highlighted by the fact that it can’t fully replace a reading of the original "Iliad". Starting with the ways in which this story strays from the classic story of Achilles, I love how the author explains everything that is changed and how it works within her narrative. It not only made the story more compelling, but enhanced the worldbuilding by having it have continual effects on the characters which end up being more-than-important catalysts for later events in the book. Nothing is changed for the sake of change itself, it all serves a purpose in the plot and better highlights why the consequences of characters have even more weight than what one might have previously guessed. One of the many things that made this story so captivating, especially as a piece of modern literature, is that it takes the typical trope of having a beloved hero be revealed as a “problematic villain”, and turns it on its head. By having a hero that would be revered for the carnage of his battles be revealed to be someone who was once a sweet, loving boy that would’ve been content to wait on being a hero were it not for the pressure to become a god, it greatly highlights the attributes that would’ve been praised back in Ancient Greece as opposed to modern day. While this book does not go into every gory detail of every less-than-moral action Achilles takes, it also does not try to paint a picture of a perfect hero, untouched by the vices of man and god alike. By showing us the tender, human parts of Achilles as a character, it makes his development and devolvement into a blood-thirsty killer hellbent on revenge that much more interesting. It’s not enough to say it’s sad to see kingdoms waging 10 years wars and committing heinous acts in the process, the book shows that was makes these events so tragic, is that everyone had their own life and wants outside of this violent world, and just how easy it was to lose one’s humanity when pushed far enough. This book brings an important narrative to its audience and dissects a truly fascinating story of legends in Greek history, and though it is written to be a more digestible version of original tales, it’s not completely watered down to disregard the horrors of war and all it affected. To write this story from the perspective of a character who would’ve played no part in a hero’s tale were it not for his father, it provides an immersive look into just how fragile peace and personal satisfaction was in the times in which they lived, and manages to still be applicable in terms of themes for modern readers. "The Song of Achilles" remains a must-have for me, and I’m so very glad that it is able to be recognized for the beautiful piece of literature that it is.

The piece I have chosen to share is called "Last Goodbye", a story-beat artwork featuring two of my original characters. This is one of my favorite finished pieces because it represents such an emotional moment in the characters' story. This piece depicts the moment when even though Cleo is trying her absolute hardest to save AJ from the curse that threatens to destroy their very soul, AJ has accepted their fate and only wishes to save Cleo from suffering the same way. As Cleo reaches out for the last time, AJ catches her off guard and embraces her, sealing the tragedy of their love with their first, and seemingly last, kiss. This scene is a pivotal point in both these characters' relationship, and the story overall. My story explores the mournful truth that doing what's right often comes with great sacrifice, but just because it is a great sacrifice does not always mean it is right. With such a multi-layered theme, I feel this piece does a great job of capturing the ugly truth that I was hoping to show. Though there is glory to be found in the good my characters attempt to preserve and protect, they are not immune from the unfortunate consequences that come with their battle against evil throughout their story. Time and time again, they are forced to face the reality that they cannot hope to be heroes and come out unscathed in the end. This knowledge only adds to the tension between AJ and Cleo as they both want to save each other, but have very different ideas of how such a plan should be executed. This seemingly star-crossed duo has endured many challenges that threatened to tear them apart, but they have always found a way to overcome them together- can they do the same when what tries to break them this time is themselves? As for the more mechanical side of things, at the time of creating this piece, I was trying to practice my compositional and overall gesture skills, and since I was depicting such an emotional scene, I was especially determined to make sure said aspects would be readable to anyone who didn't have the background information I have just shared. With that in mind, I decided to consult two very good and exceptionally skilled artist friends of mine to look over the initial idea sketches just to be sure I was on the right track. With their much-appreciated help and my desired vision, I was able to create this piece, and I am quite proud of how it turned out. To conclude, my piece, "Last Goodbye", captures a tragic moment between AJ and Cleo, two friends who had their love stripped away by something so much bigger than them. Inspired by the passion I have for this story, I wanted to create an artwork that, even though only tells a small part of a great journey, still details a tragic display of what happens when the hope of a better world goes against the hope of a broken heart.

There are two things that have stuck with me almost all my life: anxiety and ambition. I have always been an anxious person, doing simple tasks sometimes felt like life or death, so one can only imagine what it is was like trying to make big decisions that could drastically alter the fate of life as a whole. It was hard, and it is still hard, but there’s always another factor that comes to play as well, and that is my ambition. I am someone who dreams big and although I have more anxiety than the average person could ever deal with, I also have just as much ambition to match. It is not often for my nerves to get the best of me, and I have had more than a fair share of cracking under stress from anything, but I keep going. Maybe not immediately afterward; I have to know when to rest, but I will still keep pushing myself. One could argue that constantly having your dreams and fears clashing with each other as if in an unbeatable war would make me want to just quit any and everything- and I would be lying if I said I didn’t consider it every now and again- but that is not who I am. I have learned to adapt to new and ever-changing situations and shape them to my advantage one way or another. If there is one thing I would like for someone to know about me when considering my reception for this scholarship, it would be that despite my obstacles and challenges- mentally or otherwise- I am still willing to put in the dedicated work to make my dreams a reality. I have been drawing since I was a kid, but my passion for art really took flight when I started high school. I create my own characters and add stories to make them more interesting as well. I believe I still have a long way to go to reach my full potential as an artist, but if anything, that has only encouraged me to continue practicing my skills to get me closer to my goal of being a professional animator. I will carry on with my personal hobby of drawing, both traditionally and digitally in order to improve in general, but I am hoping that by attending a well-established and accredited school, I will be able to learn new, creative ways to go about my craft as well as teach others who may want to learn from me. For as long as I can remember, I have had this unshakable fascination with not only seeing drawings come to life but the idea of being able to possess the power to bring them to life myself. To me, that in itself just sounds like a great reason to be an animator, but I am still fully aware that the job is not for everyone. That said, I know it is the job for me. To me, being an animator means I get to be a creator. I get to be a creator, not just of art, but a creator of life as well. I get to take part in building new worlds, new possibilities, anything I can think of, and even more than that for there are virtually no bounds to what can be created, let alone imagined to create. It is because of this limitless range of creativity that is nothing less than awe-inspiring that I can not help but want to be a part of it. When I earn my degree, I expect to gain a more detailed understanding of this field as a whole, but I expect to gain a better opportunity to use my role in society to help uplift my community to reach its greatest potential as well. I see myself fitting into society and community by creating art that not only speaks for my passions and beliefs but also showcases the interests of those around me. If life is a giant machine, I am a gear that will not only be an integral part to starting a movement, but one that helps push forward whatever movement I am in. if life is a giant painting, then I am the base coat of paint in that whatever I do now may not seem that great or important, but it will bring together whatever the picture ends up being, and wouldn’t be finished without. I hope that with a degree, I can gain a greater platform to not only entertain my audience but educate and advocate for them as well. For the time being, however, I will use the skills I have now to better not only myself but those around me. My ability to be open-minded and willing to compromise while also sticking to my beliefs and personal goals make me a great person to discuss new ideas with and critique them as needed. As I learn more about the outside world, and even myself, I try my best to implement those lessons into the art I create. I keep my creations, specifically my characters, diverse and do my part in making sure marginalized groups such as POC and the LGBTQ+ community are given proper representation, even if I don’t have that big of a platform to share. It is because of this that the work I share with my audience tends to carry a message of enlightenment whether it be a simple character design or a bigger piece that bluntly states my stance on a current controversial topic. To summarize, I hope to achieve my goal of getting a Bachelor’s Degree in animation, but I also hope to broaden my horizon of life along the way. There is no one way to prepare for the goals I have set for myself, but I know that by continuing to practice my technical skills as well as keeping an open mind to what may come, I will accomplish whatever I set off to achieve.

For as long as I can remember, I have had this unshakable fascination with not only seeing drawings come to life but the idea of being able to possess the power to bring them to life myself. To me, that in itself just sounds like a great reason to be an animator, but I am still fully aware that the job is not for everyone. That said, I know it is the job for me. To me, being an animator means I get to be a creator. I get to be a creator, not just of art, but a creator of life as well. I get to take part in building new worlds, new possibilities, anything I can think of, and even more than that for there are virtually no bounds to what can be created, let alone imagined to create. It is because of this limitless range of creativity that is nothing less than awe-inspiring that I can not help but want to be a part of it. Animation is a concept that I find so engaging that it often makes me lose track of time. The very idea of it captivates me in a way that I honestly find hard to describe more often than not. I can not help but ponder the process as a whole, and when I do, I find utter joy in knowing that I can turn to real-life productions when I want to learn more. Animation of all kinds has always held a special place in my heart, whether it be from a full-length movie or even a simple short film. It is because of this fondness that I have been deeply interested in this industry since I was young. I have been drawing since I was a kid, but my passion for art really took flight when I started high school. I create my own characters and add stories to make them more interesting as well. I believe I still have a long way to go to reach my full potential as an artist, but if anything, that has only encouraged me to continue practicing my skills to get me closer to my goal of being a professional animator. I will carry on with my personal hobby of drawing, both traditionally and digitally in order to improve in general, but I am hoping that by attending a well-established and accredited school, I will be able to learn new, creative ways to go about my craft as well as teach others who may want to learn from me. When I earn my degree, I expect to gain a more detailed understanding of this field as a whole, but I expect to gain a better opportunity to use my role in society to help uplift my community to reach its greatest potential as well. I see myself fitting into society and community by creating art that not only speaks for my passions and beliefs but also showcases the interests of those around me. If life is a giant machine, I am a gear that will not only be an integral part to starting a movement, but one that helps push forward whatever movement I am in. if life is a giant painting, then I am the base coat of paint in that whatever I do now may not seem that great or important, but it will bring together whatever the picture ends up being, and wouldn’t be finished without. I hope that with a degree, I can gain a greater platform to not only entertain my audience but educate and advocate for as well. In the end, although I do hope that I achieve a lot in an academic sense, I really hope that I have fun and grow as a person. I do admire the idea of completing all the work to come, and in turn, finding a good job within my area of expertise, but I hope that college is an experience that I will enjoy personally. I want to make new friends, meet people with similar aspirations as my own, and find satisfaction in whatever I do. To summarize, I hope to achieve my goal of getting a Bachelor’s Degree in animation, but I also hope to broaden my horizon of life along the way. There is no one way to prepare for the goals I have set for myself, but I know that by continuing to practice my technical skills as well as keeping an open mind to what may come, I will accomplish whatever I set off to achieve.

I want to study animation in college because I want to earn my BA and become a professional animator. For as long as I can remember, I have had this unshakable fascination with not only seeing drawings come to life but the idea of being able to possess the power to bring them to life myself. To me, that in itself just sounds like a great reason to be an animator, but I am still fully aware that the job is not for everyone. That said, I know it is the job for me. To me, being an animator means I get to be a creator. I get to be a creator, not just of art, but a creator of life as well. I get to take part in building new worlds, new possibilities, anything I can think of, and even more than that for there are virtually no bounds to what can be created, let alone imagined to create. It is because of this limitless range of creativity that is nothing less than awe-inspiring that I can not help but want to be a part of it. Animation is a concept that I find so engaging that it often makes me lose track of time. The very idea of it captivates me in a way that I honestly find hard to describe more often than not. I can not help but ponder the process as a whole, and when I do, I find utter joy in knowing that I can turn to real-life productions when I want to learn more. Animation of all kinds has always held a special place in my heart, whether it be from a full-length movie or even a simple short film. It is because of this fondness that I have been deeply interested in this industry since I was young. When I earn my degree, I expect to gain a more detailed understanding of this field as a whole, but I expect to gain a better opportunity to use my role in society to help uplift my community to reach its greatest potential as well. I see myself fitting into society and community by creating art that not only speaks for my passions and beliefs but also showcases the interests of those around me. If life is a giant machine, I am a gear that will not only be an integral part to starting a movement, but one that helps push forward whatever movement I am in. if life is a giant painting, then I am the base coat of paint in that whatever I do now may not seem that great or important, but it will bring together whatever the picture ends up being, and wouldn’t be finished without. I hope that with a degree, I can gain a greater platform to not only entertain my audience but educate and advocate for as well.