This is “Rocket Pup,” like the classic ice pops that are such a common Fourth of July treat, but “Pup” instead of pop because it’s a portrait of my late family dog, Rocky. Sophomore year of high school, my art teacher announced that there was an opportunity to participate in the Congressional Art Competition and asked if anyone was interested. Nobody responded, and I could tell my teacher was disappointed, so I decided to volunteer to create a piece to submit. Because it was a Congressional Art competition, I wanted to include elements of red, white, and blue as an ode to America. The inspiration to use Rocky as the subject arose because at the time, he had just passed away due to cancer. Rocky was my dad’s best friend. My dad loved that dog so much, and I could tell losing him just absolutely broke his heart. I didn’t know how to comfort my dad, so I decided to make this piece for him. One day, I was called down to the office at school. I was terrified that I was in trouble, and as I walked to the office I was searching my brain for anything that I could’ve done wrong to warrant being called to the office. But when I got there, a woman approached me. She said I was the winner of the Congressional Art Competition for Hillsborough County. I was completely taken aback and the first thing I did was message my parents to tell them. Scott Franklin, the representative for my district, actually came to my art class and took a photo with me one day. My parents were there and everything. But I will never forget seeing my dad’s face as I explained to the class the inspiration behind the piece. I’ve never seen my dad cry, but he looked the closest to tears I’ve ever seen him that day in the classroom. Art is a way for me to express myself when I don’t know how to any other way. For a bit, this piece was actually hung in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go see it due to COVID restrictions still being in place at the time, which I completely understood. As for the piece itself, I am a big fan of creating mixed media pieces. I used everything from water colors to pens to pencil to sharpie in this piece. I just love the way that the textures look contrasted next to one another and how they add layers to make the piece more interesting.

My thoughts are consumed By what I consume I can’t stop making My food into numbers All my energy it’s taking Counting all my blunders Criticize myself daily From dawn to dusk You’re ugly, unworthy Not worth the fuss All I want And all I’m asking All I need And what I’m requesting Is to have built A life without fright, Free of the thick, sticky guilt That comes with every bite. This poem is about how I struggled and still struggle with my body image and the unattainable standards that are set by society. I became aware of my body and its shape at a very young age. Diet culture is so deeply ingrained into young girls, and it’s so disgustingly normalized as well, that I felt the need to express myself through poetry to try and showcase the all-consuming self-hatred that it elicited in me. Everyday I strive to actively unlearn everything that I let myself believe growing up-that my worth was determined by the inches on my waist or the size of my pants. Because those things aren’t true. I am so much more than a body. When people think of me, I want them to think of my smile, the jokes I made, something nice I did, not my weight or my physical appearance.

I became vegan in May of 2021. It was around this time that I really began to dig deeper into the details of health and nutrition. I began educating myself through documentaries such as "What the Health," "Earthlings," and "Cowspiracy." They were incredibly eye-opening. I realized with a shock that the foods I had grown up mindlessly consuming were actually detrimental to my health. However, it wasn't just the health aspect that made me go vegan. I remember sitting in my room watching Earthlings and just crying because of how helpless I felt against the depraved industries that slaughter innocent animals for human enjoyment. The pain and suffering that these creatures endure is heartbreaking and too much to even articulate in such a short essay. But believe it or not, if the adverse health effects of consuming animal products and animal abuse weren't enough, to top it all off, the resources used to feed, house, and slaughter the animals are absolutely destructive to the environment. I remember in one of the documentaries I watched, a statistic was stated that most of the world's starving children live in countries whose resources are dedicated to feeding cattle for first world country consumption. That is just absolutely inhumane. The fact that profit is being prioritized over children is disgusting. Personally, I feel like there are so many reasons to be vegan, I couldn't possibly ever go back. When I finished watching "Earthlings," I walked into the living room and declared to my mom I would be going vegan. I can't say that I went vegan for the animals because I went vegan for so much more than that. I went vegan for my health, for the children starving, for the environment, and yes, for the animals, too. For the most part, my family has been supportive. In September of 2021, my little sister also went vegan. In the future, I want to continue to educate myself on the science of nutrition so that I am better equipped to accurately respond to others when they ask me what it means to be vegan or why I decided to go vegan. I want to be able to educate others. I also hope to use my personal experience to inspire other students that being vegan can be affordable, and it doesn't have to mean missing out on experiences with non-vegan friends. I have a passion for cooking and baking, so maybe one day I could create a vegan cookbook that details an approachable guide on how to go vegan, along with easy, affordable, and of course delicious, recipes.