Light is my paint. In my senior year of highschool, when I really fell in love with photography, I got to know this fascinating, ethereal medium very well. I learned the basic principles and elements of design and from there, my camera and I took on the world together. However, my first love was science, particularly biology. I love examining the natural world. Some days I would go out in my backyard and climb my favorite tree and just look in wonder as the dawn heralded a new day and uncovered the sparkling dewy grass that were hidden in darkness just moments before. Each time I saw light illuminating a bright green leaf, and examined the tiny veins, the little cell-like structures inside, I knew exactly what I needed to do. Science is design, and with nature as my inspiration, I learned all I could about the science behind design. If I know how light bends, I can capture an image that makes a moment feel like forever. If I know the translucency of human skin, I can texture a 3D human model. If I know how clothes reflect light, I can paint not just an object, but the air around it, as Claude Monet once said. Furthermore, as I studied nature and biology, I came to love the person who created and designed all of this in perfect wisdom and love. I wanted to teach others about this loving Creator to show my appreciation. One example of something I learned in biology that strengthened my love for God is a detail in the process of DNA synthesis. At certain points in the process, the DNA polymerase will check back over its work to ensure it did not make mistakes, and if a mistake is made, it fixes it. A similar process happens in the cell cycle. The points this happens are called cell cycle checkpoints. It checks its work several times in the cycle. To me this shows what a careful designer God is. It moves me to create things well too and to show my greatfulness. As part of a way to help kids learn about God, I wanted to contribute my artistic abilities to an animated series as part of my ministry to help kids learn about the loving God that created everything. I love what I do with all of my heart! How did I manage to find a path in life that combines science, art, and my faith? I am so overflowingly grateful. Now, I am putting everything I have into mastering 3D art, and my scientific knowledge will continue to expand as my artistic journey continues. I am grateful for the little things that have brought me here, and I will forever stay curious and creative.

The person who has had the biggest influence on my life is “not far off from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) As a little girl, I was taught to live by the Bible’s standards. When I got older, though, the words on the page became more than just a list of dos and do-nots. I came to see the passages as they truly are: The loving advice and comfort that only a caring father could give, the knowledge and promises that only a powerful Creator could provide. Within the pages of God’s Word, I found answers to all of life’s big questions, and I saw how learning about those promises gave people hope where they had none and became better human beings because of it. I saw how the Bible helped me to navigate uncertain moments and brought me up from hopelessness and sadness that seemed unfathomably deep. I decided long before I chose my college major what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help others learn about God the way I had so that one day they could come to see God and life in a new and brighter way. God believes in creation, in creating beautiful things that are both meaningful and profound. We see his art in the natural world all around us. He gave us the ability to create too. I want to use this gift to teach about the Bible, and that is why I chose animation as the focus of my studies. Using this skill, I will be able to contribute to teaching children, and even adults, about the value of God’s wisdom. Today’s world is hard for everyone, especially kids, and I want them to grow up feeling loved and secure. This is my way of making a difference in the world. My specific skillset is unique. I have always been an artist, although I did not fully realize that until I was in middle school. I have received several awards for my writing and artwork, and I started knitting, crocheting, crafting, and sewing, which gave me the physical basis for creativity and spatial recognition. I also became interested in drawing, and later during my tumultuous middle school years, painting. The subjects of my art always gravitated toward people, and I drew and painted portraits, honing my raw talent into sharpened skill. At my high school graduation, I received an award for photography, which is one of my proudest educational accomplishments. Animation is my next goal and I have already started working at doing it well. Character modeling is particularly interesting to me, and so far I have made two character models using 3D software. As my first 3D character project was highly ambitious: I decided to make an animated version of my brother Josh. Since there were no tutorials on how to make a model of my brother Josh, this project was challenging at times. However, I refused to give up my persistence paid off! I have attached below an image of the finished result. My second project was directed toward my goal of teaching the Bible. I created a 3D character model of a man named Daniel, who was a Jew and a prophet who lived in Babylon when it was a world power. His example of faith teaches young people about how to stand up to peer pressure and maintain their faith despite bullies. Below are a few images of my model of Daniel. My art may help millions of people around the world, and that is something worth investing my time and talents in.

Painting is my favorite hobby. I learned to paint when I was 13 as an after-school stress-reliever. That week, I had just completed assessments that were collectively 20 percent of my grade. Because of that and because I suffer from anxiety, I wanted to do something that would help me unload the weight of the week. At first, I just used cheap acrylic paint for my amateur portraits, which I painted on the floor of my bedroom. To me, it didn't matter that my first portrait looked so unlike the model that it was almost offensive. Painting helped me to relax and put the stress of the day into perspective. After that initial attempt, I began to improve with practice and persistence. I invested in oil paint, canvases, paintbrushes, and other materials, gradually honing my hobby into a craft. Over the years, painting has not only allowed me to contribute my artistic interpretation of the world, but it has also brought me immeasurable peace, joy, and relief. While other hobbies may find their way into my life, painting will always remain the true expression of who I am inside. Another hobby I enjoy is knitting and crocheting. When I was 8, I was playing at recess at school and I noticed a young teacher knitting while she watched us play. I was instantly intrigued and asked her if she could let me try. It looked simple enough. She hesitantly handed over her work, and using the technique of moving the needles up and down repeatedly as I had seen in the movies and cartoons, I proceeded to make a very nice -and very tight- knot. I could tell by the tight look on her face when I handed the mess back to the teacher that she was not about to give me free knitting lessons, as I had hoped she would. However, I was undeterred. By 4th grade, I had learned not only how to knit, but also how to crochet. By 5th grade, I was making my own patterns and creating my own project. Part of what I enjoy about my hobbies, especially knitting and painting, is the journey. Making something with my hands is satisfying and almost instinctual. The result is only part of the joy I get from creating things; the time I invest and the planning and doing are also make the "done worth doing", as I always say.

The painting Nonchaloir (Repose), 1911 by John Singer Sargent inspires me as an artist to remain loose in my own art and to have confidence in every move I make. The sure yet vague brushstrokes that comprise this oil painting create a unified and visually cohesive image, without copying directly from reality. I hope to grow in my own art style by studying this painting. The posture of the subject reflects my feelings well. The calm and subdued atmosphere reminds me that I need patience if I am to improve in my art style and my skills as an individual. It inspires me to focus on accuracy, not perfection. All in all, this painting by John Singer Sargent is one of my favorite go-to inspirational artwork because it reminds me to be patient with myself, to improve each day, and to have confidence.

Being patient is important to me for my personal growth. If I am to achieve my goals, I need to work hard and be patient. For example, my college courses require a lot of time and energy, but I cannot learn everything overnight. Just like Marie Curie had to be patient to become a scientist, I must also be patient to finish my learning. Patience also helps me improve as an artist. Additionally, being patient allows me to live life to the full. If I have unrealistic expectations of other people then I will not find much joy and will constantly be disappointed. Having patience helps me see the beauty in life and take notice of the very air around me. Finally, being patient helps me to see the good in others and in myself. I feel better knowing that others will appreciate my patience and will be more willing to work together with me.

Dreamers do not depend on reality. It may not matter what is going on in a dreamer's life at the moment, but only where they are going. As a dreamer, my imagination allows me to visit my future as many times as I would like to. Here is where I imagine myself in the future: I am a successful artist and adventurer. The success comes from the fact that I have created art that inspires others, and that I have met many like-minded people to whom I can teach the lost art of appreciation and make life-long friends. I have traveled to England and South America for inspiration, teaching those I met as I went. I come back to America to support my friends back home. I volunteer in Pennsylvania, helping others to find satisfying and happy lives. In time, I can sell my paintings, but only when I'm ready. I build a garden and a house, as I have a degree in residential building design and am excellent and landscaping. I see beauty in the natural world, and I encourage others to see it as well. In this future, I see myself as a part of a bigger whole. Whatever I work to do, it will be to everyone's benefit. I may not be close to that dream now, but I am just starting out on my journey, and I have a long way to go still. This dream will help me to get there, and hopefully, I will help those who I meet along the way.

My favorite art piece is an oil painting I made. It is a side-profile creative self-portrait that integrates the bright colors of flowers with the tranquil blue of the sky-colored background to create my interpretation of what it means to be at peace with myself and my surroundings. I am drawn to this painting because it represents the feeling I get when I am in nature. Art, for me, has always been about finding inner peace. I first started painting to relieve stress from schoolwork and social pressures. I feel like my portrait is a demonstration of the power and presence that art and nature has in my life. The painting spoke all the words I could never say about my emotional journey. I hope to continue capturing the quintessence of peace through my paintings and portraits. I have attached a photo of my painting below: file:///C:/Users/g_aro/Pictures/Photography/IMG_6591.JPG

As a little girl, I didn’t feel any different from others. Although, I acted out on strange impulses and frequently got in trouble for doing so. The things that affected me, the monsters from my past, had happened to me at such a young age, I don’t even remember them. So, I didn’t even know that I was different. But I am. My story is unique, and it is about how a girl with a broken mind leaves a broken home and transforms into a beautiful, whole creature of light. When I was around 3 years old, I was placed in the foster care system, with the people that would become my present-day loving parents. I was around 6 years old when they officially adopted me. By 4th grade, I was seeing a child psychologist, who promptly diagnosed me with ADD, also known as ADHD. I began receiving professional help understanding my mental condition and working with it. This understanding made it possible for me to stop the endless cycle of disinformation, self-doubt, and underperformance. I began to see why I did certain things and how I could organize my life so that I no longer felt lost and trapped in my own mind. I began to make friends, the lasting kind, not the kind that you play with and then soon forget. I became interested in helping others, because I was more aware of the frailty of the human mind and the complexity of our emotions. The teenage years are years of discovery. We find out who we are in these critical and vulnerable stages of development. My teenage years also include discovering my own capabilities, talents, intellect, image, and ambitions. Mental wellness, however, is not something I simply found. It is a way of life, a way of walking on a path that leads to a light somewhere in the distance. Before my understanding of how my ADHD affected my thoughts and actions, I was in metaphorical darkness. I couldn’t see where I was at or where I was going. Now, my friends tell me how they wish they were as organized as me, or as creative as me. I don’t mean to brag when I say that, but as a way to say that I am honestly proud of where I am now in life, and I am confident in where I am going. I don't think I have become who I am despite my mental disorder, but because of it.

As a little girl, I didn’t feel any different from others. Although, I acted out on strange impulses and frequently got in trouble for doing so. The things that affected me, the monsters from my past, had happened to me at such a young age, I don’t even remember them. So, I didn’t even know that I was different. But I am. My story is unique, and it is about how a girl with a broken mind leaves a broken home and transforms into a beautiful, whole creature of light. When I was around 3 years old, I was placed in the foster care system, with the people that would become my present-day loving parents. I was around 6 years old when they officially adopted me. By 4th grade, I was seeing a child psychologist, who promptly diagnosed me with ADD, also known as ADHD. I began receiving professional help understanding my mental condition and working with it. This understanding made it possible for me to stop the endless cycle of disinformation, self-doubt, and underperformance. I began to see why I did certain things and how I could organize my life so that I no longer felt lost and trapped in my own mind. I began to make friends, the lasting kind, not the kind that you play with and then soon forget. I became interested in helping others, because I was more aware of the frailty of the human mind and the complexity of our emotions. The teenage years are years of discovery. We find out who we are in these critical and vulnerable stages of development. My teenage years also include discovering my own capabilities, talents, intellect, image, and ambitions. Mental wellness, however, is not something I simply found. It is a way of life, a way of walking on a path that leads to a light somewhere in the distance. Before my understanding of how my ADHD affected my thoughts and actions, I was in metaphorical darkness. I couldn’t see where I was at or where I was going. Now, my friends tell me how they wish they were as organized as me, or as creative as me. I don’t mean to brag when I say that, but as a way to say that I am honestly proud of where I am now in life, and I am confident in where I am going. I don't think I have become who I am despite my mental disorder, but because of it.