My name is Christina Paillant and I’m 16 years old. I come from a long line of Haitian Heritage; my mother is an immigrant that moved to America when she was 10, adopted by a friend of her family, and my father was born in America to Haitian immigrants. I've always wanted to be an author since the 3rd grade when my teachers made it cool to write stories. I started to draw comics in the 6th grade because my friend introduced me to making comics, so that's when I decided I wanted to be an author and illustrator. Picture books have had a big impact on my life in many aspects. It was my way to bond with my mother because everyday after school, me and her would sit on the couch at night and read my favorite books Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, or any library picture books I brought in from school. Those books inspired me to be a fashionista and deal with life in style. I absolutely adored Fancy Nancy for her use of big words and her fashion sense, which to this day I sort of imitate and incorporate in my drawings. As I got into 4th grade, I discovered this author Raina Telgemeier, who wrote comic books based on her life which introduced me to graphic novels - which I consider a sort of picture book. That was another influence on my passion of wanting to become a graphic novelist and illustrator. Growing up there wasn't many picture books that had main characters of color, especially black people like me, which caused me to make most of my characters white, because that was what I had been exposed to. In the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian writer, "The single story creates stereotype and the problem with stereotype is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete, they make one story become the only story.” In TED Talk, "Danger of a Single Story." I too found this out later in life when I discovered books like the Okay Witch, Akata Witch, and Hair Love, and realized that people who look like me too can be the star of their own novel. Which is why I want to be the author and illustrator of children's picture books and graphic novels, so I can put out my characters of every skin tone, so children can grow up with a sense of pride that their culture and race is represented and can be an inspiration. This award would help me save up money for college so I can pursue a degree in digital media and art to learn how to professionally become an illustrator and designer. I want my stories out there to inspire children like how those stories with people of color inspired me to create my own characters of color. I've already made an amateur picture book called The Triangle Sisters, which won 1st place at my school’s literary fest, to practice my craft.

"You can find the meaning of life in a book," ("Everything Everything" by Nicola Yoon, 2015). This quote really resonated with me when I read the book "Everything, Everything," because when someone writes a book, it is usually a representation of their personal experiences in the form of a story and the lesson they wish they knew in that experience. When I saw that quote, I pondered on it and thought of all the lessons I've learned from reading books. In this case I will start with this book. "Everything, Everything," is about a girl named Madeline who has lived her whole life never going inside because of this very rare disease she that causes her to be allergic to the world. When a boy named Olllie and his family moves in as her next door neighbor, they start to fall in love with each other at a distance forcing her to make a choice to stay in isolation like she always had, or take the risk to experience the world. Madeline's journey had many risks and challenges, and although going out in the world, from what her mother always told her, could kill her, she took the leap of faith anyways for love, freedom, and to discover herself. I have loved books ever since I could read by myself in the 1st grade, because I was so enamored by the different worlds they could transport me to and journeys I felt I could go on along with the main characters. My favorite books have always been sci-fi and fantasy, especially when African culture is implemented in those genres. The first one I discovered was "Akata Witch" by Nnedi Okorafor, which is a West-African fantasy book about an albino girl, named Sunny Nwazwe who finds out she is a leopard person or witch per say, who was destined to save the world from a great evil with her friends. I felt for the first time people with my skin color could take the lead as a main character in a book. It was imbued with African folklore and culture such as masquerades, goddessess like Mami Wata, monsters, various languages and places, and much more. I felt that through that book I got to learn a bit more about my culture's roots before we were stolen from the colonists. It lead me to discover more books like displaying different cultures. Through my love of reading I promised myself in 3rd grade that I would become an author. Furthermore, in 4th grade I discovered graphic novels - "picture books for big kids!" - a younger me exclaimed, through Raina Telgemeier's books like "Smile" and "Sisters", helped my experiences of siblinghood and braces feel normal. I then decided I would become an author and illustrator of my own books, inspiring and enchanting readers like myself. Through books, I discovered my passion for storytelling and art which I have still have goals of achieving one day to become a bestselling author. Books expanded my views of the world, being able to experience something through the eyes of a character helped me develop empathy and creativity. Coming back to the quote at the beginning, how you discover the meaning of life through books is by understanding the views of others. You learn lessons of morality, consequences, courage, cultures, family and so much more if you just paid attention. I want to write because it makes me happy and its a great way to send a message. Books give me understanding and inspiration. I would love my writings to move other as books have for me.

One my favorite songs from Billie Eilish is "Lunch." The first time I heard it was on the radio during a rainy road trip. My family and I were heading to a Wendys to pick up dinner. In the parking lot while we were ordering the song popped on and I instantly loved it! The beat, the vibe, and melody was so chill and peppy at the same time. What was ironic was that it was such a rainy night and that song came on in the middle of it. That song is definitely third on my list since it reminds me of that trip and summer vibes! My second favorite Billie Eilish song is "Birds of a Feather". It reminds me of friendship and misfits having to stick together. I've never felt like I belonged in many places like school, my neighborhood, or most places in general. I guess I consider myself very eccentric. But when I am with my family and friends who are quirky and artsy like me, I don't feel so alone anymore. That song reminds me of that - finding your tribe. I remember the first time I ever heard it was on a silly Instagram reel by aaronmalibu, who made a doll character named Jafarina (Jafar as a superstar), and made a stopmotion reel on her drama with that song. He even made a cute red and blue feather dress for the doll to match the song which took the cake! That song has a heartfelt and funny meaning to me. And last, and certainly not least, my number one favorite is "Bad Guy," since that is the very first song from her that I have ever heard. I was in seventh grade. My dad had on the channel MTV Music for background music while my mom was cooking. A video came on with a deep tempo and a girl with blue hair and a yellow rain jacket like Coraline came on. My dad and I recognized the song from the radio during school pickup and started telling my mom about how good it was. The video was wild with Billie on a tricycle, dancing in her rain jacket, and how she slowly said "I'm the bad guy - duh!" Just too good! I'll always love that sick beat, and remember the amount of movies like "The Bad Guys," used it, and memes/parodies of it. It is my number one fave and her number one hit. Billie's career has evolved so much, probably as much as she's changed her hair color! It's funny how she went from chaotic weirdcore songs to reflecting on her life to now winning academy awards like the Oscars for writing songs for big budget movies such as "James Bond - No Time to Die" and "Barbie." It's amazing how she and her brother Phineas are like the ultimate sibling duo producing bops together and growing their success together; it is just inspiring! From her music, hair, outfits, and successes, I support her growing career and hope she keeps on climbing the ladder of prosperity.

Chappell Roan's songs are a great mix of pop and 80s inspired sound. But what I believes what solidifies her music as unique is how she sings about the ups and downs of her experiences of dating and the struggles of being queer. Although I am straight, I resonate with the aspects of empowerment, love and heartbreak, and being yourself despite of what society expects, that her music often has a theme of. How I found out about Chappell Roan was through Instagram fanarts and quotes about her. The sparkly outfits, cowgirl and butterfly themed fanarts allured me about this artist. What fully got me into her music is when I accidentally stumbled onto her YouTube shorts which were pretty random and hilarious! I watched her mini documentary explaining her album "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess." Talked a lot of her childhood in Missouri is what inspired this album. I loved how she mentioned she purposely dresses in outfits that look like you bought it at a thrift store to make it look playful, vivacious, sparkly and flamboyant. Although she is a popstar, she presents herself as a regular person who just loves to make art, which I love that about her! Her style of music is very heart strung and playful which can be relatable in both the best of times and the worst of times. My favorite songs from her are "Good Luck, Babe!", "HOT TO GO!", "Red Wine Supernova," and "Super Graphic Ultra-Modern Girl." But I am only going to discuss my top 2: I found "Good Luck, Babe!" through an animatic I found on YouTube about a girl in love with another girl who couldn't come into terms with her bisexuality but still wanted her attention. The girl realized that she just felt used, and decided to cut her off since she didn't reciprocate the love back. The girl later, after being in a marriage she's not happy in realized she should have token her chance with the girl who loved her all those years ago than just having her as a secret lover. I felt that this song was such a powerful message of unreciprocated love and learning to release it to find someone who'll treat you better. I loved how it made me cry because I could just feel Chappell's experience as she artistically sang this ballad of love, heartbreak, and release. Even without a music video she painted such a story with her words that acted as inspiration for the animation community. My second favorite of Chappell's is HOT TO GO! It is such a playful bop. Like a cheerleading chant you would do at a pep rally. I just loved her outfits in the video (especially her green golfing one) and how she even got her grandparents into her music video. Chappell just knows how to make something silly into a fun melody! " H. O. T. T. O. G. O. You can take me hot to go!" Such a fun summer song, even if I can't get the cheer dance right! Chappell Roan is a pop sensation, a voice for the LGBTQ+ community, and a girl whose outfits bring a pop to a show! I love her music, respect how she came from humble beginnings of a school talent show, accepted and rejected from Atlantic Records, but still rose on her own to be unique and a self-made success! Her fashion is wild but is a colorful message to be your authentic self. I hope she keeps on doing her magic and spreading her music.

From 1989, one of my all-time favorites was "Shake it Off"! This song holds a nostalgic significance to me. I remember being in 2nd grade when this bop came out on the radio. It was peppy, fun, and great to dance to! My mother loved it instantly, and so did I. I remember one night, my mom, little sister, and I coming back home from the park that is by my house, we washed up to help mom prepare dinner. My mom's philosophy was that music can make any chore fun; music while cooking is one of her favorites. She told me to go on the desktop computer that is in our kitchen and put on "Shake it Off." When I did, she instantly started to dance and sing to it. She was being so silly, that my sister and I joined in with her! My dad even paused his video game to stand and watch us having fun, joining our high spirits. We had a blast. From then on anytime we cooked or exercised that song would be one of the first on our playlist. Those memories cling to me with that song tied to it, which is why it holds dear in my heart. "Style" is another song I would put on my playlist. I remember it jamming on the radio every day on the drive home afterschool. My favorite lyric is "And I got that red lip classic thing that you like" because it is just aesthetically pleasing. It is probably one of the links of why red is my favorite lip gloss color. The color red makes me think of confidence, boss girl energy, and a front cover magazine look. The song gives off fashion magazine vibes honestly. Definitely on the playlist! The last song from this album would be Bad Blood. Last year I had a lot of friendship endings, not ugly ones, just it felt like they drifted away. At first this song is how I felt about it. Feeling slightly betrayed, angry and like we had "Bad Blood!" However, that was not the case it was just that they has their own personally issues, so I decided not to take it personally and to let them good. No hard feelings. But this song has a great agro sort of beat to it, especially when you are angry which is how it kind of set the tone of how last year for me started. What's funny about the song was how it was used in DC Superhero Pets when Krypto was listening to that song when he was mad at Superman, which now that image will go in my head anytime, I hear that song now! As you can see my pick of songs are very memory, aesthetic, and nostalgia bonded. A lot of songs that I love from Taylor, came from this album which stay me throughout a lot of my childhood. I love songs that resonate with a memory because I can be able to appreciate it more later. This album was a banger, and I am so happy that a lot of its songs created a lot of good memories for me, which is why my favorites will be part of my 2023 playlist!

One of my favorite Nintendo games is Super Mario Kart because it was one of my very first game control games I've ever played with. We did not own a Nintendo game console at my house. My dad is more of a PlayStation guy playing any games that had to do with either WWE, NBA, or anime related. However, at Walmart when they added the Nintendo demo console, my sister and I took that as an opportunity to try it out! My parents noticed we wanted to play so my mom decided to get the groceries while my dad stayed to watch us play. We were swiping at all the available games, and low and behold that colorful Super Mario Kart poster caught our attention. We clicked into it and the peppy racer music came on. It's like the kind of music that you would hear at the start of a concert performance before a big event like a parade, an award ceremony, or the Olympic games. I picked racer princess peach as my avatar, while my sister picked an inkling boy from Splatoon. The racetrack was breathtaking; like we were traveling to a cyberpunk like city. We started up the game and raced. It was like a whole world full of life and excitement. However, not really using game control before we struggled. When it ended. My dad decided to teach us how the controllers worked for this game. He even decided to play against me and my sister (we took turns). We had a blast that day. My favorite part of the game is how you can fly with your paraglider built on your kart. The locations are beautiful and so life like. I love the opalescent mystery cubes, since they give power ups! The best ones are the Bullet Bill power up that lets you blow past everyone, and the Star which makes you the most OP racer on the track! It's now our weekly tradition, for every time we go to Walmart, my dad, sister, and I play Super Mario Kart and try to level up.

When I first heard of the Brat album, I found out about it through a hilarious meme made by the Subway Surfers Instagram of the guard getting down to the song "360." I found the meme so hilarious that I decided to listen to the whole album. It was phenomenal. If I were to describe this album it would be like if you ate a computer to sound purposefully autotuned/techno, made an eccentric aesthetic of technology from the 90s to Y2K such as CD earrings, MP3 players, flip phones/telephones, then dosed all of that with a pop of green and party girl energy. That's what comes to mind for me. I love how the album is very audacious, has a mix of DJ clubbing beats, high energy, and chaos encouraged. It would be very hard to pick just one great song from this awesome album. However, my very favorite song that I play on repeat on Brat was definitely "Apple" because I love it's mix of modern techno beats, rhythm and 80s sounding melody. I agree with its meaning about generational trauma and fearing that you'd succumb to the same abusive patterns or how it has broken you down. All that makes you just want to run away; you want to be better than that, but you notice that you are doing the same bad habits your predecessors did, which can be terrible. I love it's sirenic sound of when the hook repeats the lyric "To the airport, the airport. The airport, the airport." My other favorite lyric is: "I wanna grow the apple, keep all the seeds. But I can't help but get so angry. You don't listen to me." Trying to stop the cycle and create a better one can be hard, especially if your family repeats those bad habits which makes you fall back into them also. This song reminds me of my family history of how my grandparents mistreated my parents. They decided to break off from them and as quoted said "In this generation the curse is broken," where they decided to not spread that trauma onto my sister and I, which was very brave for them, and I appreciate them for that. Although sometimes certain bad habits stick on although you try to do better, which certain things that stuck onto my parents has stuck onto me. They planted the new seeds to heal our family and now my sister and I must follow that path to a greater future also. It is funny how popular and controversial this album is, it made this summer eventful. The fashion uproar of people wearing lime green and embracing their inner messy party animal selves. The number of memes made using a lot of her songs, especially "360," which made this summer a creative, artistic revolution in ode to the album. And the thing that put it on the map when Charlie XCX called Kamala Harris "brat" which meant that she is a fun party girl. That was the biggest uproar on every News channel and talk show that week. This album made a great study playlist for me, encouraged me to create more art using the color green, and has me dancing in my bedroom listening to my second favorite bop, "365." Let's be honest that song is totally lit! So happy that a work of art has inspired a fun summer! Here's a link to one of my art pieces: https://www.instagram.com/p/C--_hYlSR0P/?img_index=1.

My name is Christina! I am 17 years old; I love to draw, read, and write. I am very spiritual where I practice EarthCraft, affirmations, journaling, and card readings to help me navigate through life. My true passion is in motivational speaking and the creative arts in which I hope to one day inspire the masses with my art, stories, and words. How I plan to make a positive impact through my entrepreneurship is through a program I am starting up called GEMS, like the precious stones. GEMS stands for Gorgeous, Empowered, Motivational, Superstars. The main point of the program would be to help children, tweens, and teens learn to transform their lives through self-care, self-esteem, and self-love so that they can live their best lives. In general, I feel that our confidence starts to falter as we get older, definitely once we become teenagers. We are in a constant mindset of confusion. People having big expectations of us that we are not sure we can fulfill. Having a consistent feeling of never being enough for people when you just want to be yourself; or not even knowing who you are. You, see? Life is already hard enough, and trying to manage all of this self-doubt can make it more complicated. I know this because I've been through it many times - but I was lucky to have help from my support system. I too went through these things starting in middle school. Being judged for how I thought positively that I wore unicorn and mermaid themed outfits, or even just being a great student. People will always try to challenge your success or your sense of self, trying to change you into something you're not because they were jealous of you before you conformed. However, learning skills to become more assertive and knowing your worth will at least help deter the youth from dimming to fit in. In this program I want to incorporate various activities that focus on making goals, eliciting your positive attributes, developing affirmations about oneself, and accepting both the good and bad parts of ourselves. Incorporating a journal to catalog your journey throughout the program is a key activity to do at every meeting. This way you have recorded on how you've started the program and can reflect on what you've learned and see how you've grown since then. This journal would have a prompt to answer at the start of every session which would be the theme of the day's activities. Some these activities include a book of possibilities, which is a scrapbook of magazine clippings, words, or drawings of what you want to manifest in the future and figure what steps you need to take to get where you want to be. Doing mindful movements to release tension, break you out of your shell, and get some energy out. And last, team building activities for the group to get to know each other, gain social skills, and develop connections. At the end of the program each member will get a gem that represents the light within themselves. Every day I witness and hear a lot of people in my community experiencing low self-esteem and depression. And with the 2020 pandemic, it surged. We've been so isolated and disconnected from society as a result, and now people crave community and self-improvement, and I want to do something about it. But it starts with the youth, who need to learn confidence early. Them GEMS strives to teach them these skills because confident children will grow to be confident adults. So, lets Jam GEMS!

For a 3-year period a lot of things in my house had been breaking down. Although that may sound small, it actually is quite difficult to have all these appliances broken down and you are tight on money and time. So, these are some stories of the arduous journey I've had of the domino effects of appliances that have broken down and how my family and I had to overcome it. I call it adventures of being a homeowner. Or that's at least what my parents would call it. It all started with the air-conditioner. It was one of the hottest days of the year and it decided to zonk out on us. Yes, I know many people can live without air-conditioning, which is more of a privilege to have. But in Florida's 100-degree weather, it would feel like some sort of cruel and unusual punishment. We had to deal with it for a good 2 weeks before the repair man could come and fix it. Had to use a lot of fans and light covers to deal with it. Now this sounds pretty normal. Not too big of a struggle. Well, I beg to differ, because this was just the beginning. The next month, we did our usual weekly grocery shopping night. Came home around 9pm. Just as I finished putting the groceries away, I tiredly ambled my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth so I could go to bed. The minute I got in, I saw a small smokey haze and smelled something horrible! Like smoke, but not woodsy. More artificial, like a mechanical pencil burning is what I imagined. I saw and smelled smoke, but there was no fire in sight! I feared this may have been something I could've caused. So investigated by myself. I checked the lightbulb, nightlight, and shower. No smoke coming from any of them. Since, I realized I didn't cause it, I called my dad for help and explained the situation. Turned out it was the water heater causing smoke. The fire department came in full gear but seemed pretty disappointed that it was no big fire. Guess they wanted some action! They said it was an internal wiring explosion that they had to defuse, due to the heater being old. We were lucky to discover it so soon before it was something drastic. Could've lost everything. It was totaled and needed replacement. But we were short on money, so had to save up and research. That meant no hot water for anything. We had to boil buckets of water and wash up with soap and a cup for 3 months. It was hard, but we persevered. I thought it'd make a good story. We did find a wonderful new heater and repair guy fortunately. My last story is the breakdown of the fridge. Temperature of the freezer went from 5 degrees to 56! Ice was melting and my dad spent the whole night cleaning the mess. This was right before the holidays! What luck! We had to buy fresh food every two days, basically having a malfunctioning fridge for a year. During Christmas the following year, the new fridge felt like the best gift we ever gotten! At least we ate fresher food that year. These experiences have taught me to be adaptable, resourceful, and have hope. When your life goes sideways, you must make do with the situation and find some humor in bleakness. My advice would become familiar with medieval skills, have patience, and make this annoying situation a fun story idea! These experiences make you stronger.

My favorite Spider-Man is Toby Macguire's take on it because of how he made the character relatable. When you say the word "superhero," what'd come to mind would be powerful, loved by all, rich and life just bows to their feet. Being a hero means being virtuous, brave, and selfless, but it doesn't always mean things will always go your way. Toby's portrayal of Spider-Man brought that fact to life. Peter Parker is just like most of us, a teen/young adult who may not be the most popular, richest, or coolest. He just a guy who wants to fit in but not a lot of people get him, and he would just like to be seen. To get the girl, be rich, have respect. I believe a lot of people have felt like that. Toby's Spider-Man movie saga was very psychological and incorporated regular life struggles such as school, family, love/social life, jobs, rent and much more, and showed how a superhero would have to balance all these things. Peter always tried to give everything his all, but keeping secret identity makes it hard to do normal things while trying to save New York. I liked the detail of how his powers are linked to his emotions. When nothing was going right for him his powers faltered. This happens a lot to people in real life. I for one when my emotions are in the dumps, I can't do normal tasks properly, my body feels sick, and I have zero motivation. This movie saga to that concept and expanded on it by adding superpowers to the mix, which is kind of spiritual, psychological, and relatable. And Toby's Spider-Man was put to the ultimate morality tests throughout the saga. Dealing with the loss of his uncle when he could have prevented it, the death of his best friend's dad, and when the symbiote took him over. Every day we have to choose whether we want to stick to our morals, which can be hard when the path towards darkness is seductive, easier, and feels powerful initially. However, it can hurt the ones we love, and we can lose ourselves to it. The symbiote represented that darkness that tries to cling to us every day when times get tough. It made Spidey feel powerful, confident, and even vengeful when he found the true killer of his Uncle Ben. And let's best honest, that black costume was awesome. My favorite part of Spiderman 3 was that dancing scene. But he ended up hurting MJ, Harry, and he became bitter. When he realized this and cleansed himself of the symbiote in the church bell tower, which felt like a metaphor of redemption in the biblical sense since church is supposed to be a place to atone for your sins. That symbiote takes shape of the type of person you are, which is why when Eddie got the symbiote, he turned into a monster. Spidey/Peter is a kind person which is why he didn't go completely monstrous. In the end he chose the light over the darkness despite of how his world turned upside down. Toby Macguire's take on Spider-Man was funny, relatable, and kind. His movies showed that although you're a superhero not everyone will accept you and not everything goes your way. However, that doesn't mean you should give up on hope or good. In the subway scene where the people saw he was just a kid, that showed the good in the world. Hands down Toby's Spider-Man is the best and the wisest, learning how to balance superhero life and regular life.

The most poignant anime that I have ever seen in my lifetime would be Dragon Ball Z. I was first introduced to anime by my father who is a big fan of it and exposed it to me through a variety of shows on Toonami, which is on Saturday nights on Cartoon Network. Dragon Ball Z is one we really bond over because he watched it as a child, and now he got to pass this show that meant a lot to him to his child. I love this show because of its key themes such as found family, giving others second chances to those who may have wronged you in the past, and strength coming from never giving up and dedication. The storylines of DBZ are so captivating with their many villains who come on Goku and his friends' paths, the new levels of power Goku reaches (my favorite was his Super Saiyan Blue), and the elements of extraterrestrial life that exist in the DBZ universe. I remember my favorite season on Dragon Ball was the Cell Saga, because it dealt with time travel, androids, and the plot twist of an unsuspected villain who came amidst. Vegeta's future son, Trunks came to the past to give Goku a future medicine that would save Goku's life from an illness that would kill him in Trunk's timeline. Goku was the only one who could defeat these android siblings, 17 and 18, who would wreak havoc and bring about the apocalypse in the future. What was awesome about the season was the plot twist of how it wasn't only the androids in this timeline to worry about most, it was about an unexpected villain named Cell, who would suck the life energy of humans and consume androids 17 and 18 to reach his final form. All this to just show his perfection. That villain brought chills to my very core. I just loved how it was not Goku who did the final blow, but his son Gohan who had a power arc to take out Cell. I'd watch that season over and over again, that's how good it was! My dad and I even showed that season to my little sister to pass down the love of anime to her. Although DBZ Kai ended, it continued with Dragon Ball Super which brought new crazy concepts such as Gods, Super Saiyan god mode, new members added to our dragon ball family, possession, and the multiverse. We were so excited for this show because it meant something new that has never been seen yet, while DBZ kai was just repeats. Dragon Ball Z is not afraid to explore a wide variety of topics like time travel, necromancy and wishes through a magical dragon, robots, power ups, and much more. My favorite concept is that humans can have magic too, they just have to meditate and channel that energy to unlock it. It showed that anyone can have the power to get better and have special abilities. Dragon Ball Z is one of my favorite anime because it bonded me with my family, inspired me to become an artist and writer, and taught many great life lessons on how anyone can be redeemed, have endless potential, and have found family. This show is such a trailblazer in the history of anime, and I hope it will continue to expand its storylines for future generations to enjoy.

Many people in eastern religions believe in past lives, where your spirit reincarnated into a different body after the end of a past life. People use this to explain why we have certain interests, connections to people or even déjà vu. Well, I believe that in this lifetime my past life interests have collided. My name is Christina Paillant and all throughout my life I’ve had many interests which includes fashion, illustration, traditional art, and character design. My fascination with these things stemmed from Monster High doll fashion, beautiful tarot card deck illustrations, animation, and graphic novels. Once I finally discovered graphic design encompassed all of these interests, that showed to me that design was my calling to study in and express myself in ways beyond what words ever could. A career in design would be transformational because it would allow me to use my creativity to make my illustrations come to life! Studying in graphic and fashion design would allow me to follow all of my passions and have a career that wouldn't even feel like a job. I want to illustrate and design beautiful, magnificent outfits that would be shown in fitness ads, plays, dances, and even Mattel dolls which inspire my designs. In graphic design/illustration I want to illustrate the most spellbinding tarot and oracle card decks along with advertising posters. A design career would be a fulfillment of my childhood and current dreams. Studying fashion and graphic design would be a dream come true.

When I was little kid, I loved to create as many things with my hands as I possibly could through drawings and crafts. I never thought I was good at it, but I still did it anyways. My mother and father encouraged this by purchasing coloring books, beading sets, and art supplies I could play with. It was until middle school that I discovered art was my gift, when I won my very first T-Shirt competition for Make-a-Tee Coral Springs. Art is my savior in hard times, my escape from reality, my way of telling stories, but also it is my calling. I love making jewelry, paintings, cardboard crafts, and collages to express my creativity. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, which hit me when I was 12, when I was having a tough time, I immersed myself in my sketchbook, creating fantastical worlds with extraordinary characters which was my escape from the real one. I got very depressed during quarantine, feeling that there was no hope nearby. But then my mother took me outside and handed me a piece of chalk and told me to draw the world I'd love to see. I drew a rainbow of hope, kindness, and peace. I continued drawing the rainbow of hope which continued to be my beacon of light. I want to create a program that serves as a motivational group which uses the power of arts and crafts and fitness to teach people self-esteem, coping techniques, life skills, and how to incorporate a little bit of magic in their lives with the power of creativity! This program would be called SELF. In this program the activities I want to incorporate is a book of possibilities, which is making a scrapbook of magazine clippings and drawings that you want to manifest in the future. Incorporating an art/ writing journal to catalog your journey throughout the program. Doing mindful movements to ground the soul and bring out the wild within. And last, doing crafting and team building activities to build self-discovery and confidence. Every day I witness and hear a lot of people in my community experiencing low self-esteem, depression, and loss of inspiration. This is happening to every single age in my community, and I want to do something about it. I want SELF to uplift the spirits of people who want to learn how to express themselves and build up their confidence through the power of fun! When we are children our teachers, parents, and even children television consistently try teaching us how to build a sense of confidence and love for ourselves and encourage our peers to do the same through expressing our creativity and positive self-talk. As life gets harder, we tend to forget these teachings and fall into the spiral of self-hate and not practice these skills we were once taught. I want to remind people of these skills and even new ones, so that they can feel renewed, confident, and even spread these gems of wisdom to empower others. Dr. Seuss once wrote, 'Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.' If at least one person wants to come on the path of creative empowerment, that is what makes all the difference.

My name is Christina Paillant and I come from a long line of Haitian Taino Heritage. Why have I chosen to pursue art? This question comes with a story to tell. When I was little kid, I loved to draw and craft -- to create many things with my hands. I never thought I was good at it, but I still did it anyways. My mother and father encouraged this by purchasing coloring books, beading sets, and art supplies I could play with. It was until middle school, when a friend of mine drew so well -- which is how I met her, she always inspired me to push on to become an amazing artist. Her artwork was amazing by far, but because of that, it made me become better. Then the covid pandemic hit which really put me to the test on my relationship with drawing. Was I only drawing just to be as good as my friend? Well, I figured out that wasn't the case because I genuinely loved it. It was my gift, it was my therapy when I went through depressive stages in my life, and it is my way of telling stories. I want to major in digital art and media because I want my art to inspire others and be my medium of storytelling. I was, and still am, a very indecisive person who can't just do one type of art -- I want to learn them all! I have dabbled in painting, collages, digital art, and drawing, beading, crochet --- I'm even testing out animation. And being in digital art and media can allow me to learn all those things digitally and physically. I want to make stories through paintings, books, and animations -- and drawing is my personal way of wanting to tell them, which is why I have chosen to pursue art. What inspires me artistically are movies that have bright costume design and theatrics, graphic novels whose worlds inspire some of my artworks and characters, animated television show creators whose Instagram's I look at to see how they draw on the regular which inspires me to create, and Shakespeare. His plays are very tragic and extra, but when you see them performed, it's just beautiful to watch and to create a painting out of. Nature also inspires me. Every day I go walking and I take photographs of birds, plants, and landscapes. I love creating drawings of them because it reminds me how beautiful this world is, despite the ugliness that seems evident on more days than others. I feel as if, spiritually compelled to snap a photograph of these animals or plants to keep that reminder. Even things at the grocery store inspire me like people’s outfits or how they look. Certain objects look cool enough to photograph then draw. I am currently taking art courses in school and online to refine my skills. I am currently learning photography and digital art, while in my spare time I paint my own creative pieces. I have many goals, but one of them is to start up a creative therapy business where we use painting, drawing, crafting, dance, yoga and music to improve people's self-esteem and help them express themselves. Art has always saved me during times of depression and hardship, so I want to share that with others too. So, they can feel inspired and climb their way out of sadness and anger. I also want to become a illustration artist to sell my artworks, draw and animate stories, and create clothing.

My name is Christina Paillant and I’m 16 years old. I come from a long line of Haitian Heritage; my mother is an immigrant that moved to America when she was 10, adopted by a friend of her family, and my father was born in America to Haitian immigrants. I love to draw, read comic books and crochet cute little dolls for my friends and family. Got inspired to do so when I saw a crochet frog on Pinterst and I said, "I'm learning how to do that!" I've always wanted to be an author since the 3rd grade when my teachers made it cool to write stories. I started to draw comics in the 6th grade because my friend introduced me to making comics, so that's when I decided I wanted to be an author and illustrator. Picture books have had a big impact on my life in many aspects. It was my way to bond with my mother because everyday after school, me and her would sit on the couch at night and read my favorite books Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, or any library picture books I brought in from school. Those books inspired me to be a fashionista and deal with life in style. I absolutely adored Fancy Nancy for her use of big words and her fashion sense, which to this day I sort of imitate and incorporate in my drawings. As I got into 4th grade, I discovered this author Raina Telgemeier, who wrote comic books based on her life which introduced me to graphic novels - which I consider a sort of picture book. That was another influence on my passion of wanting to become a graphic novelist and illustrator. Growing up there wasn't many picture books that had main characters of color, especially black people like me, which caused me to make most of my characters white, because that was what I had been exposed to. In the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian writer, "The single story creates stereotype and the problem with stereotype is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete, they make one story become the only story.” In TED Talk, "Danger of a Single Story," she talked about growing up only with storybooks that centered on British protagonists which caused her protagonists to be the same since that was all she knew. It was only until later she found some black authors with protagonists of color, when she found out people of her skin color can be the star of a book. I too found this out later in life when I discovered books like the Okay Witch (graphic novel), Akata Witch (novel), and Hair Love (picture book). I realized that people who look like me too can be the star of their own novel. Which is why I want to be the author and illustrator of children's picture books and graphic novels, so I can put out my characters of every skin tone, so children can grow up with a sense of pride that their culture and race is represented and can be an inspiration. This award would help me save up money for college so I can pursue a degree in digital media and art to learn how to professionally become an illustrator and designer. I want my stories out there to inspire children like how those stories with people of color inspired me to create my own characters of color. I've already made an amateur picture book called The Triangle Sisters, which won 1st place at my school’s literary fest, to practice my craft.

My vision for developing my apparel line would be a women’s exercise clothing line that fits all sizes with the use of durable material. Growing up, my whole family has always advocated exercise as a necessary, spiritual, and healthy practice my whole life. Especially, my mother and I frequently buy exercise clothes that are chic, functional, and make it easier to deal with the Florida heat. However, we've been noticing that the materials that are used to make these clothes are poorly made. There have been rips on the knee and thigh area, just in a couple of months with some washes or because we have thicker thighs. I've been very disappointed with how the fashion industry lately has been lacking care of good quality clothing, especially for people with different body types, who may have curves and the clothing just doesn't fit quite right. I have noticed some are made in mind of only thin people, which feels very misrepresentative. This is why my clothing line would have a range of different sizes for anyone interested in exercise or just looking stylish but needs a comfortable size. I would research different types of durable fabric that would last the customer a long time and that doesn't rip easily just because of your size or frequent use. The customer will enjoy their clothes and save money instead of buying replacements. I want those who buy my clothing line to feel powerful and included, that no matter what size they are they can all look beautiful. I’ve always wanted to just have a pair of pants that does not feel too tight, even if it is my size or a shirt like my mother’s that is 20 years old and unscathed, while my new shirt already has a rip or looks faded by just one wash. Clothes should be made to last for years to come. In the U.S., people “dispose of 14 million tons of clothing each year, or 80 pounds per person” (Bernadette M. Longo, Valerie Werner-Longo). This is due to the poor quality of clothing fabrics and the need to follow the latest trends. This waste causes a lot of pollution from overflowing the landfills with harmful chemicals and dyes. My clothing line would be environmentally safe and can follow any trend. How would my clothing line look? It would be full of patterns and a variety of colors which would allow a lot of creative liberty to mix and match. It would include a lot of shorts, tights, short-sleeved and no-sleeved shirts to allow versatility and be breathable. Most of my designs would comprise pockets to help carry phones or water bottles to be prepared. The sizes would be from plus size, large, medium, small, etc. From yoga, dance, kickboxing, running, biking, and more, women can enjoy their choice of fitness in comfort and style. The reason why this fashion line is so important to me is because ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to design clothes that make people feel empowered and happy. Clothes with colors and designs that people can feel pulled to. Clothes that are sustainable and durable and in my small part can help save the planet. And last, if I could share my craft, and my art with others and it makes them happy – it would mean the world to me. This is why when I go to college, I am going to get an art and business degree to try to launch this in the future.

I remember the first Disney movie I've ever watched was The Little Mermaid, and it instantly grabbed me. I loved Ariel's red hair, beautiful voice, and courage to chase her dreams no matter what. But, what also made her amazing was how courageous she was in saving Eric, regardless of the fact he was a human and how she defeated the wicked sea witch, Ursula to save both kingdoms of the land and sea, and also her father. To this day, she is my favorite Disney princess because of this, and I aspire to be as brave as her. My favorite thing about Disney is their animated movies and television shows which teach many moral life lessons and incorporate magic. From mermaids, pixies, talking animals, royalty, or even regular people who go on a quest, they made me believe that magic can be real. But, also the movies/shows bring up real-world issues in society. For example, I watch a show called The Owl House on the Disney channel, which is about a 14-year-old girl who travels into a magical world of witches and supernatural creatures in hopes of learning to become a witch herself. Beyond the fantasy of the show, they delve into topics such as grief, societal pressures of what is considered "normal," past trauma and how to grow from it, and a need for change in crooked government systems. This show meant a lot to me because I resonated with how the main character felt misunderstood by her peers because she was different and her journey of finding her tribe and herself. Disney always finds ways to incorporate real-life issues into their content so that it can relate to the masses. They are not afraid to discuss tough topics like generational family problems, divorce, a feeling of not belonging, grief, or growing up. They have evolved from just Disney princesses and talking animals to heartwarming and relatable stories to adjust to this generation. I just love that they do this because it makes me feel less alone. Also, it's amazing how they allow so many new creators, from many diverse backgrounds to create new and fresh content, especially with protagonists of different ethnicities. I have grown up on Disney and their content is still enjoyable to me to this day. The princesses have inspired me to be brave, bold, empowered and kind. The new Disney movies and shows have made me feel seen as a person. And I just love how I can watch them with my family and how we bond about them. They even give me great inspiration as an artist to make my own stories. I hope they keep making inspiring pieces of art and spread the magic to future generations.