Hello! My name is Marie Welch and I I am an artist. I have overcome a lot in my life and educational journey, and I am fighting everyday to realize my full potential. Fighting my own self-doubt, my struggles with mental health, and most recently, grief. Art is my outlet and my avenue for expression. It explains what I can't, reveals what I'm unable to, and advocates for the truth I seek. It is my life, and I would be empty without it. So I fight for a world where the arts are acesible and allowed to thrive, and continue to not only color my world, but everyone's. This is why education is so important. After taking a break from school to overcome grief, I am once again taking on the challenge, but also the privilege, to finish my degree. I want to use the resources and I have and the tools I learn to make real impact, especially in the communities that have made me.