Everything began when the sun glowed upon her white hair that charming day. As a child, I was suddenly aware of the world around me and how breathtaking the common everyday occurrence could be. As my grandma and I rode along the street for our afternoon sunshine, I remember wanting to live that day forever. My great-grandmother was always my support and introduction to the fine arts. In the evenings, she would teach me how to draw and embroider together after our walk. When I lost my Grandma Vickey to time, I promised I'd commemorate her in a painting, for she was my very first muse. The city of San Bernardino and my Hispanic heritage have deeply influenced the imagery I use in my art. Many of my pieces have remnants of the city streets I played on, from the lowriders that would cruise and dance in the streets to the iconic imagery of downtown. In my creations, I try to translate that warm and invigorating feeling I got that one sunny day through the strokes of my brush and the richness of color. The love I have for the home around me, person or place, will always make its way into my canvas.

I will be attending Kansas City Art Institute and will have the opportunity to have the resources I've dreamed of. I am most excited about having a designated studio space so I can do my craft adequately! I will be going out of state, so I'm excited about the new experience, as it was a school that my teacher highly recommended for me. The school offered many interesting courses, and I will have the option to explore all their majors during my foundation semester. From painting, sculpture, fabrics, film, and product design, I will definitely have my hands busy. Having a museum next to me at my disposal is incredibly inspiring. I truly can't contain my excitement about this new journey I will be on. I have made plans to keep up my healthy practices while I'm in college. For instance, I have gradually reduced my phone use throughout the summer so that I may focus entirely on my studies. It has enabled me to effectively manage my time, which is a useful and important skill as a college student. I've been utilizing the extra time during my break to look into resources that can help me in terms of being ready, both financially and academically. My biggest challenge is not having to worry about money while I'm learning. I've practiced discipline to become the best financial decision-maker I can be. I have focused on keeping myself as healthy as possible in terms of both mind and body, as I will be completely relying on myself while away from home. To maintain good mental health, I have been journaling my daily experiences and doing self-reflection. I take the time to take into account the things I am grateful for and truly take in the things I worked towards. It allows me to see my world in a much more positive view and keeps me motivated for things I will face. I take the time to allow myself to play as well. As much as I strive for development, it's as crucial that I give myself permission to enjoy the moment! To keep a healthy body I am working on having a proper sleep schedule. Sleep is crucial for success both physically and mentally! Before I exercise I tried to do stretches that make me focus on my breathing and keeping myself grounded. My journey of improving my health has helped me find many free/accessible resources that make learning and managing my stress easier. I make an effort to exercise at least four times per week to keep myself strong and prevent an aching body which is something I suffer from working long hours on my pieces. I'll put these newfound skills to use this fall when I'm in school to maintain a healthy body and spirit so I can approach opportunities head-on!

Maintaining our mental health is key to creating a determined mindset and achieving our goals. We cannot unlock our total potential without taking the time to care for both our minds and bodies. Unkept mental health can cause many challenges within an educational setting, as I know from personal experience. Depression and anxiety made it difficult to account for time. I would be lost in my head and realize that weeks had passed, causing me to fall behind in classes. It also deeply affected my attendance because I had no energy to get up in the morning. Though I couldn't get rid of the source of my depression at the time, I had the power to aid myself in my betterment. I started journaling and recognizing patterns in things that would deeply affect me. Seeing it on a comprehensive paper made it easier to approach it from a logical point of view instead of sorting it through my mind with no outlet. The reflections have allowed me to analyze coping mechanisms that did more harm than good, like isolation, bottling my emotions, and abusing substances. This practice of journaling my day and feelings has allowed me to overcome a monumental obstacle: being vulnerable with myself. It's also allowed for personal growth and improvement, and truth be told, I've never felt lighter on my feet. I've started cutting out my phone usage to aid in both my daily interactions and to allow for a more distraction-free day. I used my phone to waste time, and it became an addiction, keeping me from pursuing things I had time for. Cutting it out has allowed me to appreciate things around me and take advantage of more opportunities. It has also allowed me to have a better sleep schedule, giving me the proper energy and focus needed to succeed. I also found that keeping my body healthy helped with how I felt. I try to work out and do mindful meditation. As long as I continue working to help myself improve, I count it as successful. Realistically, I know having the energy to keep these routines up can be exhausting, but progress is not linear. One thing that always makes me feel better is creating art. It benefits my brain and gives me an outlet to vent or simply exhaust any stored energy I couldn't dissipate with my other methods. I think that being creative can help reduce stress and put me in a more positive mindset, allowing me to focus more throughout the day. Maintaining good mental health at school is not always easy, but with consistent maintenance, it can be easier to succeed in an educational setting and reach the goals we fought hard to obtain.

I'm looking at the local youth's artwork in my Art Center, and I know that all the dedication to my career/craft was worth seeing them indulge in the freedom to create and make the world a more brilliant place.

I am a painter and I aspire to make a prominent signature in the art world. I meant to do this for the rest of my life and share it with others. Art is not just used to be aesthetically pleasing but to speak out to a crowd of onlookers. As an artist, the use of my creations and the impact they can make on my community is exponential. Art is a beautifully strong tool for communication. The arts can bring people together, create an ideological shift, push movements, document history, raise funds, and it reflects the environment of the artist. I've used my paintings to advocate/inform others of events happening in my community. A piece I'm most proud of is, "Can't Kill The Indian". It's currently hanging in the Garcia Center for the Arts in San Bernardino where it has a platform to share about the Missing Murdered Indigenous Women movement. The indigenous community funds/has a long history with San Bernardino County and I wish to inform others of how they've been targeted. The piece has helped educate others about this movement and I'm proud to have had the opportunity to spread awareness about my community's issues. I strongly believe that art should be enjoyed together and helps build connections. Once I graduate from art school, I wish to contribute to my community by making art more acceptable for the youth to pursue. Producing a creative space helps invest in our youth and gives them an outlet to freely express themselves. In my community, certain paths and careers are valued more because we don't have the option to explore our passions. We’re forced to focus on surviving everyday life and working to provide for our families. I want to create a center accessible to everyday youth to explore their artistic passions, offer support, and be given opportunities to succeed. From vibrant public displays, murals, and working up to art events that encourage public participation/support. Creating art events can help bring awareness to my community's prominent issues and bring in funds to support those in need. Art will increase the quality of life and attract more people for the uniqueness offered by a vibrant community.

I am, and always will be an artist. To be put in a job with no creative outlet is one I cannot see myself pursuing. I have been advised multiple times that the arts are a gateway to being poor and don't become successful careers. The starving artist allegations don't go away even if you prove yourself to be successful. The truth is I don't need to become rich to prove my nay-sayers wrong. I will be rich with happiness and fulfillment in what I pursue, and many can't say that for themselves. I am going to Kansas City Art Institute, they offer many fine art majors that give me the experience needed to become an artist in multiple fields. I am required to have a foundation year which means I am to do everything they have to offer, so I will have the opportunity to explore and pick the major I like most. A career I see myself exploring is becoming a Fine Artist/ Art Teacher. A Fine Artist can possess a broad spectrum of skills. I have a strong set of skills in painting, sculpture, prop/set building, and ceramics. I believe being a Fine Artist will offer me the freedom of pursuing exactly what I want and I get to pursue it on my terms. Being an Artist, I have to be a jack of all trades. You have to promote, market, create art, contract, and maintain a reputation. I've had a lot of fun doing this in my previous experience. I've been a freelance artist during my high school education and creating pieces for clients has always been exciting and challenging. Being a Freelance Artist can be very rewarding but it does not come with a lot of security which is why I am looking into becoming an art teacher/professor. I still get to be a Fine Artist and use all my skills, plus I get to teach it to aspiring students. I believe this path will bring me the most fulfillment because one of my biggest career goals in life is to become a resource to make art an acceptable career to pursue in my underserved community. I have my own experience with wanting to pursue an artistic career with the weight of improving my family's generational well-being and I can prove the art field is possible and not some unrealistic dream. I will improve people's lives through the arts and I believe being an art teacher will give me the opportunity and freedom to achieve my career goals.

Growing up my brother was my best friend. He was older than me by a few years but we always got along well. Throughout my childhood, my brother suffered from drug and alcohol addiction as he got older. Being as young as I was, I couldn't comprehend why exactly my brother's behavior would change drastically. He would become erratic and abusive when he drank. I couldn't understand why the brother I had known to be kind and loving had suddenly disappeared and I was left with a scary stranger. Alcoholism and addiction beyond any doubt have changed the way I view relationships, especially with my family. Because he was my brother the abuse directed toward me was dismissed. Living in my house became I constant state of stress because anything could set him off when he was under the influence. If he was having a bad day, his anger was directed toward me. He would intimidate me, insult me, or harm my pets. When he would sober up he would promise me he would change and that he was sorry but because his behavior continued I never trusted him. He would fight and lie to our family about being sober. The way addiction shackled my brother affected my mental health while attending school. The way he would treat me would make me depressed and afraid to go home. Due to feeling depressed for many years I too started using drugs. Though I never fell victim to addiction, the danger of using drugs as a coping mechanism constantly loomed over my consciousness. I didn't want to become my brother and treat others as he treated me. I still had a future I desperately wanted to pursue and if I fell into drug abuse I would never obtain it. Overcoming this obstacle in my life has pushed me to work tirelessly toward my goal of becoming an artist. I wanted to improve my grades, get accepted into art school, and secure the future I dreamed of since I was a little girl. And I accomplished my goals! I fixed my grades, and I'm set to graduate this year, I was accepted into my dream school and working towards my future career. I believe with my art I can showcase how drug abuse can affect many and not just the person with the addiction. I believe with my art I can advocate for more affordable and accessible recovery/programs for those struggling with addiction.

As a child who grew up in San Bernardino, my schools did not offer many resources or opportunities for students to thrive creatively. Academics were pushed strongly on us because it was the only way for most to leave our community and better our chances of becoming successful. We live in poor communities and the pressure to become a college student to pursue a guaranteed high-paying career loomed over our heads constantly. Though I strongly believe academics should be encouraged, I saw many of my classmates who craved a creative outlet but had no opportunities. Our supplies incomplete or completely unusable discouraged many. Not having the proper resources for your interest makes you feel like what you want to pursue is not important. The talent and potential of the youth in my community are infinite they, unfortunately, do not have the means to explore their passions. I am determined to pursue an education/career in fine arts. It is my drive and passion. And though many have advised me against it claiming it is not a real profession, I aspire to make a prominent signature in the art world. I dedicated many years to the arts and having limited finances has not deterred me. I meant to do this for the rest of my life and share it with others. As an artist, the use of my creations and the impact they can make on my community is exponential. Art is a beautifully strong tool for communication. The arts can bring people together, create an ideological shift, push movements, document history, raise funds, and it reflects the environment of the artist. I strongly believe that art should be enjoyed together and helps us build connections. Once I graduate from art school, I wish to contribute to my community by making art more acceptable for the youth to pursue. Producing a creative space helps invest in our youth and gives them an outlet to freely express themselves. In my community, certain paths and careers are valued more because we don't have the option to explore our passions. We’re more focused on surviving everyday life and working to provide for our families. I want to create a center accessible to everyday youth to explore their artistic passions, offer support, and be given opportunities to succeed. From vibrant public displays, murals, and art events that encourage public participation and support. Creating art events can help bring awareness to my community's prominent issues and bring in funds to support those in need. Art will increase the quality of life and bring in more people for the uniqueness offered by a vibrant community.

My name is Roxanne Ybarra and I am a young Mexican painter looking to further my education in fine arts. As I have been accepted into Kansas City Art Institute this scholarship will help me pay for my yearly college expenses. I am the first in my family to attend college so to be offered this experience is one I am most proud of. I have had an obsession with the arts ever since my dad introduced me to drawing. I was fascinated by how people could be imitated with extraordinary life and expression onto a small book that fit in the palm of his hand. In my mind it was like seeing magic, this one experience gilded a path that I forever wanted to pursue. As an artist, I enjoy exploring a mixture of mediums. Sculpture, ceramics, and drawing, but none come close to the way paint enriches my experience. I love how warm paint is, the versatility of what it can communicate is addicting. I grew up with limitations on materials I was able to afford but attending school gave me the resources to further experiment. This year was the first time I was able to use spray paint. I created a stencil and used wooden circles to create planets in my piece. It was incredibly exciting because it was a technique I always wanted to try. Spray paint is incredibly challenging to control and meticulous due to layering the paint. My goal is to paint a mural in the future as I am most inspired by muralists and graffiti artists like SLEW and TenHundred. I enjoy painting human figures and portraits. A lot of my art is personal, I paint childhood memories, family members, and subjects I have strong fixations on. A main focus in my art is femininity, I believe women present themselves artistically daily and it's a beauty I wish to enshrine. There is also the feminine experience I wish to convey besides highlighting the beauty, the sense of community, love, hardship, and strength I have learned from the women in my life. I enjoy creating cultural pieces that highlight my Mexican culture. As of recently, I am trying to experiment with new subject matter and stray away from portraiture to diversify my portfolio. I am determined to make art my future career and will not let limitations stop me from reaching my dreams. With this scholarship, I can further my education and create a prominent signature in the art world.