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Theo Bufort

1x

Finalist

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Art
  • Writing
  • Witchcraft
  • Advocacy And Activism
  • Botany
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Counseling And Therapy
  • Exploring Nature And Being Outside
  • Magic
  • Music Production
  • Poetry
  • Singing

Bio

My name is Theo. I use they/them pronouns. I am a 22-year-old, paving a road to the most authentic education I can create for myself. I struggled a lot in high school due to an abusive home environment. After moving to California for mental health treatment in 2024, I am now living a life beyond my wildest dreams with the help of my higher power. This fall, I started at the Johnston Program as a student at the University of Redlands. The Johnston Program is a highly esteemed and respected create-your-own degree program that I am honored to be a part of. I am creating a degree titled "Reclaiming Creational Power Through Mixed Media". This degree centers around the lived experience I have around how art can help people heal and step into creative power. I am so excited to see where my education will lead me in the professional world! It is my goal both those who consider themselves artists and those who don't step into creational power.

Education

Orange Coast College

Associate's degree program

2024 – 2026

Majors:
  • Fine and Studio Arts

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Majors of interest:
Fine and Studio Arts
Desired degree modality:
In-Person
Medical school interest:
No

Career

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Arts
Work experience:
4 years
Has nursing license:
No
Cash Ryder Lanspeary Art Scholarship
Cash’s story had a nothing short of a profound impact on me. Starting at a 4-year university this year has been both exciting and terrifying. Choosing to major in art, in a world that constantly doubts the value of artists and is now shifting its focus to AI art, has been scary. Reading about Cash’s life and his love for art, I had an epiphany: the fear I feel about being an art major is as much a privilege as my excitement. I am incredibly lucky to have this opportunity. Cash’s story shifted me completely out of my fear and into a deep gratitude. It helped me understand that the worst mistake I could make in college would be focusing on my fears. If I remain focused on my fears, not only am I doing myself a disservice, I am doing a disservice to every single person who wanted to go to college for art and was not able to. I am now committed to centering joy and gratitude in my journey as an artist for every single one of those people, especially Cash. I am so grateful to him for teaching me this powerful lesson. As an artistic expression of my gratitude for Cash and the Lansberry family, I have drawn a Styracosaurus. This is a dinosaur I didn't know about until this project, but it is most certainly my favorite. I stumbled upon the Styracosaurus in the Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, and immediately knew I had to draw it. I have never seen another dinosaur with such beautiful horns. In fact, after further research, I discovered that Styracosaurus used their striking appearance to attract mates. Like the mating behavior seen in dinosaurs' closest surviving relatives today, birds, the Styracosaurus's neck frill would flush with blood to enhance its visual appeal. I also learned that the Styracosaurus's impact on the scientific community is just as significant as its magnificent horns! Styracosaurus fossils have helped provide paleontologists with key insight into the herding behaviors of dinosaurs. Before discovering a large group of Styracosaurus fossils in Dinosaur Provincial Park in the early to mid-1900s, the paleontological community did not yet understand that certain dinosaur species traveled in packs. Dinosaurs were previously thought to be largely solitary animals, and the Styracosaurus specimens discovered provided undeniable evidence to the contrary. Most importantly, out of every dinosaur known to mankind, the Styracosaurus remains one of the most impactful to dinosaur education globally. With its immediate visual appeal, Styracosaurus fossils have helped museums and institutions worldwide draw astounding numbers of curious people in to learn about the history of dinosaurs on our planet. Despite the fact that the last Styracosaurus roamed the Earth nearly 75 million years ago, they continue to live on. They continue to affect the world. Just like Cash. Even though he is no longer on Earth, the impact me had on me was a great one. In my book, Cash and Styracosaurus are one and the same; larger than life.
Theo Bufort Student Profile | Bold.org