My current favorite piece is a portrait of my roommate, titled "Sam". In terms of technical skills, this is one of my strongest works to date. However, that is not why it's my favorite. This is my favorite painting because of how it portrays my roommate. The work centers Sam, using bright colors to highlight her as the focal point. The background is an abstract swirl of purples and blues, two colors I strongly associate with Sam. The cool, abstract background makes the subject look as if she is glowing. This is how I see her, as a radiant, joyful friend who I love to adventure with. I am so incredibly grateful she trusted me with painting her and I've become inspired to paint other important people in my life in a similar way, using my artwork as a visual letter of appreciation.

Last semester I enrolled in an Advanced Comics course at my university. One of the biggest takeaways I have from that course is how important something as simple as a comic can be to an individual or community. More specifically, Underground Comix in the 60s gave minorities a voice and a point of connection, explicitly discussing topics like gender and sexuality, race, drugs, politics, etc. The history of underground comix encouraged me to think more deeply about the art and media I consumed, criticizing the voices uplifted, the stereotypes, and the subconscious messaging. Above all, I found myself with a further appreciation for media that uplifted identities that I related to. It gave me a sense of validation and community I often struggle to find in everyday life. This, creating community and connection through art, is something I've become extremely passionate about. Whether it's through comics, illustration, fine art, video games, movies, etc, it is my goal to be able to create something that someone, if only one person, can find solace in. I want to create work that makes people feel stronger. That makes people feel like they have been seen - that they aren't alone. Media such as this uplifts minority voices, especially the youth, encouraging a better future where children and young adults don't have to feel ashamed of their differences but are celebrated because of them. As we work towards a more equitable and equal future, there needs to be more representation across media. It is my goal to be one of the artists doing just that.

For as long as I can remember I've been an artist (though I will say it took me 18 years to build up the confidence to call myself one). Like most kids, it began with colored pencils and watercolor works that graciously made it onto the family fridge. Even then, creating art was something that brought me comfort and joy. As I grew, so did my art practice. In high school, I explored practices such as theatre performance and set design, choir, poetry, photography, drawing, painting, and ceramics until finally settling into my love for drawing and painting. As graduation fast approached, I became anxious debating whether to pursue what I wanted, the arts, or a "more feasible" option. It wasn't until the pandemic lockdown that I realized if I didn't pursue art I would always be unhappy. I would always wish I followed my passion. So, I applied to art school. I poured my heart into my applications, creating portfolios and dreaming of what my life could be like. It wasn't enough. Turns out, applying to college coming out of a global pandemic is really competitive. I got into one school. The tuition alone was 50,000 a year. Deciding to forgo 100,000 in student debt, I attended a local community college where I received my AA in studio arts. Here, my technical skills and my love for the arts blossomed. Through classes such as figure painting, color theory, and printmaking I expanded my love for 2D art. I became interested in the more concentrated field of illustration and what it would mean to work in fields such as visual production and illustration. I also met one of my favorite professors to this day. Over the year I spent in community college, he became a great mentor to me. He helped me curate my portfolio and choose schools as I prepared to transfer. In the end, I had to make a decision between a small out-of-state art school, PNCA, and a large public university, UC Berkeley. A lot of factors went into this decision; I contemplated the programs, the culture, the location, and the cost. After much deliberation I accepted my admission into UC Berkeley for the Fall 2022 semester. Last year I completed my first year at UC Berkeley, pursuing my BA in Art practice with a minor in art history. My first year at Berkeley, while it was an adjustment, was amazing. I met amazing people who have helped me grow as a person and artist. I've taken classes like screenprinting, Advanced comics, and African Aesthetics that have altered not only how I make art but how I understand art. Most of all, the Advanced comic/graphic novel course I took has opened me up to a whole new world of illustration. This coming semester I will be taking senior projects and I plan to develop a graphic novel. It's become one of my biggest dreams to illustrate one. Now, one of the biggest decisions I'm faced with is if I should stay at Cal for another year, changing my art history minor to a major. Art history as quickly become one of my biggest interests. I've found that I love theorizing, exploring, and learning about art throughout place and time. I recognize how influential Berkeley as been and I know that staying another year would further develop my skills in and out of art. Which leads me here, applying to scholarships in the hope that I can spend another year at UC Berkeley exploring my art practice and soaking in as much knowledge as I can. Thank you.

I believe it was the summer of eighth grade when I realized that the world isn't fair. All my childhood my parents raised me to believe that I could be or do anything I wanted. They treated me the exact same as my male counterparts and I looked at the world through a lens of equality, where everyone was given the same opportunities and graded on the same scale. In the summer of eighth grade, however, my view changed. As an ambitious student, I decided to enroll in a computer applications summer class to get ahead in my high school curriculum. Working alongside my peers, we learned about Microsoft and Adobe suites, exploring the world of spreadsheets, powerpoints, and word documents. However, my excitement with the class was quickly put out after receiving my first grade; my teacher had absolutely hated my assignment, a PowerPoint presentation about my favorite band at the time. While my PowerPoint was not the best in the world, it was definitely not the worst. Despite meeting all the requirements my PowerPoint received a C. As a straight-A student, I was dumbfounded and reached out to my peers to see how their submissions fared. To my surprise, I had received not only the lowest grade but the only grade that was not an A+. Distraught and feeling embarrassed, it wasn't until I talked with my parents and received two more subpar grades, that I realized that my grade might have had nothing to do with the actual assignment. Returning to class the next day I looked around at my classmates and realized that I was the only girl in my class. Suddenly my embarrassment turned into anger and determination. I was angry that I was being singled out for nothing more than being born a girl and, more importantly, I was determined to prove to my teacher that I deserved to be in that class just as much as everyone else. For the remainder of the course, I worked harder than I had ever worked before, creating work that my teacher couldn't ignore and attending every optional meeting. I refused to be ignored by him. In a classroom where I was pushed out because of my gender, I created a space for myself by working hard, putting myself out there, and speaking up. This, I believe is what it means to take up space: to work so hard and be so loud that your work and worth can not be ignored. Often times women and other minorities are not given the respect or opportunities they deserve. We are forced to work harder and speak louder just to be heard but, when we finally make it to the top it is so satisfying to be able to say "despite everything, despite all the setbacks and discrimination, I did it. I am here and no one can ignore me". Moving forward, I know I will continue to face inequality in my daily life and career. My dream job, to be a concept artist, is a male-dominated field, with women only taking up 25-30% of the workforce. Despite this discrepancy, I am determined to pursue a career in the arts. I will continue to be loud and take up space because, just like my male counterparts, I deserve to be at the table. I deserve to be judged on the same scale as everyone else. I deserve to be here.

One of my biggest hobbies and talents is my art. My art is one of my hobbies that I practice daily for two reasons; one, to get to a point where I can pursue art as a career, and two because it makes me happy. Because art is such a varied subject, I like to practice my art in many different ways. If I'm trying to focus on skill learning I do grisailles, photo studies, or still-lifes. Exercises like these are monumental in helping me improve not only hand-to-eye coordination but, more importantly, how my eye perceives values and colors. After skill-based practice, I move on to something freer. Whether I am working with paint, photoshop, pencil, or others, I allow myself to create with the goal of enjoying the process rather than focusing on the result. I love drawing landscapes, the figure, representational and non-representation compositions, comics, concept drawings, and more. One of my favorite exercises recently is taking scenes from the novels I read and recreating them, drawing the scenes how I imagine them. It would be my dream one day to be able to create concept art like this as a career but, for now, as I go through school I will continue to do it in my free time. No matter where life takes me, I know I will continue to develop my skills as an artist through community classes and my own practice.

In my sophomore year of high school, my family and I attended a local garage sale hoping to find a dresser for cheap. Unfortunately, we didn't find a dresser but what we did find was so much better. At the garage sale were three small puppies, the most adorable puppies I had ever seen. After endless begging and promises to do the dog chores, my sister and I convinced my parents to let us keep one of the puppies and since then, my life has never been the same. That was five years ago. Since then my dog, ikuji, has become my best friend. I see him every night before bed and every morning before I leave for school or work. Wherever I am he's with me, whether that's laying by me while I write this essay or sitting outside the bathroom door while I take a shower. Two years ago the global pandemic completely derailed my life. I lost most of my friends, my sports team, my freedom, and everything a high schooler craves and in most cases needs to survive the ups and downs of high school. Thankfully, I had someone at home who I could lean on. During isolation, I struggled with not being able to socialize, exercise, and most importantly, spend time alone. On top of that, as a teenager, I struggled with dealing with these emotions and how to express myself. I found the solution to all of these problems by sending time with my dog. Even though he couldn't respond, I had many conversations with my dog. Even just spending time playing, petting, or laying with him helped me get the social interactions I was missing. I also began taking my dog on daily walks. He and I would walk for miles on miles, not only getting exercise but also giving me time by myself to reset mentally. Throughout the pandemic, my dog and I spent every moment together and he truly became my best friend. I absolutely would not have been able to survive the pandemic without my dog. He was the main reason I was able to stay motivated to do my work, apply to college, get my associate's, and even now, he keeps me happy and motivated to get pursuing higher education. As I prepare to transfer and move three hours away from home, I know that despite being far from him he will continue to be my forever best friend. I'm so thankful that my family and I stumbled upon that garage sale all those years ago and I will continue to be grateful for every year I get to spend with my sweet sweet dog.

Climate change is something I often think about. It weighs heavily on my mind and I often find myself wondering what type of future I will have if any. Advocating for climate change is something that I've incorporated into my daily life. In the past, I've participated and planned climate protests, demonstrations, and gatherings. During high school, I was the president of the Students for Social Justice Club and the vice president of the Environmental Club. As a leader of these clubs, I helped plan a demonstration where we designed, printed, and hung posters about climate change around the campus. I also had meetings with the cafeteria staff and the school district's head of food production to implement more vegetarian meals and look into plastic-free silverware. On a smaller scale, I've made changes to reduce my carbon footprint. I've stopped supporting businesses that have a high carbon output like fast fashion brands, fast food, and supporters of big oil companies. Also, I've tried to reduce my consumption of single-use plastics by using reusable bags, cups, silverware, and more. While I recognize that the main contributors to climate change are large companies and businesses, I think it's important that those of us who are able to should try and be more climate-conscious in our daily lives. It's my hope that the work of climate activists like myself will be able to bring more awareness to the climate crisis, encouraging political leaders to pass green policies that help the earth and all living organisms for the better.

Like many other high school seniors, I spent my last year of school overwhelmed by college applications and the intense range of emotions caused by the application process. I went through the motions, experiencing dread, happiness, excitement, nervousness, and ultimately despair. Unlike a majority of my classmates, I did not receive a myriad of acceptance letters. I received two: one for a college way too far out of my price range and one for Cuesta, a community college with a 100% acceptance rate for local graduates. To say the least, I was devastated. Suddenly my lifelong dreams of attending a four-year university and the “college experience” were crushed. I was disappointed in myself for not being “good enough” to be accepted. I was jealous of my classmates who were committing and receiving full rides. Most of all I was embarrassed. I had always been considered “smart” or at the top of my class. I had spent so much time and energy taking honors, AP, and enrichment courses at the local college and suddenly it felt like it was all for nothing. None of my hard work had paid off. Despite feeling defeated and unappreciated academically, I persevered. In fact, I became inspired to prove to myself that I was still a good student. I enrolled at Cuesta College and decided that I was going to get my associate’s in one year. Little did I know that attending Cuesta would be one of the best years of my life. My year at Cuesta helped prepare me for university and I met a lot of great people along the way. Many of my art professors from Cuesta helped me decide which artistic pathway would be best for me. Similarly, they helped me curate my portfolio and spent time outside of class to critique my work. My drawing professor has become my mentor and the first person I go to when I have a concern about my art or artistic pathway. Socially, I have met so many amazing fellow artists and students. Each person that I've met has taught me something new whether that's the best way to clean my paintbrush to how to navigate my online courses to the best lunches to get at the cafeteria. While it was initially difficult to accept, attending Cuesta College turned out to be a great decision for me. While I've seen improvements in my school work and artwork the biggest change I've noticed is in myself. Attending Cuesta college has taught me to be more open-minded. I find myself being more empathetic to those around me and pursuing opportunities I would have never considered before community college. I'm embarrassed to admit that I used to think I was "too good" for community college. No one is "too good" for anything. I know now that every opportunity I am given is something I should consider without the interference of ego or pride. My new open perspective will help me in my future endeavors as a student, community member, and employee and I'm so excited to see where life takes me.

The quality I value the most in myself is my open-mindedness. I've found that my open mind has not only led me to find so many new and amazing friends but it has led to my success in both school and the workplace. Socially, my personality has allowed me to find friendships in individuals that I would not normally befriend. For example, in one of my classes at a local community college, I recently became good friends with a fellow classmate. Most people my age would not have pursued a friendship with this woman because we have a large age gap but I did. I look forward to seeing her in class every week and I'm so thankful I've gotten to know her. In the workplace, my open-mindedness has led me to success. I'm not afraid to ask questions when I'm confused and I'm always open to learning something new. For instance, working at my job has given me the opportunity to learn how to drive large vans. When my boss first mentioned that I would need to drive the bakery van I was immediately nervous. However, I put my fears aside and kept an open mind and I'm incredibly grateful I did. Undoubtedly, I've found that being open-minded and, more importantly, asking questions has been monumental in my success in the workplace and my confidence as an employee. Finally, my open perspective was the number one factor in pursuing my education. Last year I graduated high school and went through one of the biggest academic challenges I've ever faced: college applications. Like many other high school seniors, I spent my last year of school overwhelmed by college applications and the intense range of emotions caused by the application process. Unlike a majority of my classmates, I did not receive a myriad of acceptance letters. I received two: one for a college way too far out of my price range and one for Cuesta, a community college with a 100% acceptance rate for local graduates. To say the least, I was devastated. I was disappointed in myself for not being “good enough” to be accepted. I was jealous of my classmates who were committing and receiving full rides. Most of all I was embarrassed. I had always been considered “smart” or at the top of my class. I had spent so much time and energy taking honors, AP, and enrichment courses at the local college and suddenly it felt like it was all for nothing. I seriously considered forgoing college altogether and going straight into the job market. But, after calming down I reconsidered my options. I had always thought I wasn't a good fit for community college so I was apprehensive about attending Cuesta College. But, I kept an open mind and attended Cuesta and I'm so glad I did; I am scheduled to receive my Associates in the Arts for Transfer this Spring semester. This year has been so amazing. I have made so many new friends, improved as a person and artist, and I've been able to spend one extra year at home with my family. After getting my associate's I plan to transfer to a four-year college in the fall of 2022. It's crazy to think one year ago I was considering not going to college at all but now I'm on track to get my associate's and bachelors. My open mind has led me to success in my past endeavors and I'm extremely confident it will continue to help me in my future as a transfer student, community member, and artist entering the workforce.

My digital art is heavily inspired by concept art created in animation and video game studios. I grew up watching animated movies from studios like Disney, Pixar, Studio Ghibli, etc., and was always amazed by the artwork, specifically the backgrounds. Even now, I often watch new animated films with my younger cousins just to study the beautiful backgrounds and lighting. One of the first movies that I ever truly appreciated for the art was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I absolutely fell in love with the watercolor backgrounds by Claude Coats. When I'm painting digitally I hope to recreate backgrounds like these, beautiful scenes that also can tell a story. I want my digital paintings to transport the viewer to another world. I want to be able to create new worlds that, as a young me once did, people can get lost in and admire with amazement and wonder. I hope, after college, to become an illustrator or concept artist for an animation studio. While I recognize that animation studios are making great improvements in representation, there is still so much more to be done. I want to work for an animation studio that uses diversity and representation to teach young children about acceptance, helping the world become a kinder and better place. The art pieces I've attached are digital paintings with a graphic art style, a similar style to those seen in animation studios. If I receive this scholarship, I'll be able to afford to transfer to a private art institute like CCA, Cal Arts, or Art Center. Attending one of these colleges would be monumental in developing my skills as an artist and will provide me with opportunities that will allow me to pursue a job at an animation studio.

Like many other high school seniors, I spent my last year of school overwhelmed by college applications and the intense range of emotions caused by the application process. I went through the motions, experiencing dread, happiness, excitement, nervousness, and ultimately despair. Unlike a majority of my classmates, I did not receive a myriad of acceptance letters. I received two: one for a college way too far out of my price range and one for Cuesta, a community college with a 100% acceptance rate for local graduates. To say the least, I was devastated. Suddenly my lifelong dreams of attending a four-year university and the “college experience” were crushed. I was disappointed in myself for not being “good enough” to be accepted. I was jealous of my classmates who were committing and receiving full rides. Most of all I was embarrassed. I had always been considered “smart” or at the top of my class. I had spent so much time and energy taking honors, AP, and enrichment courses at the local college and suddenly it felt like it was all for nothing. None of my hard work had paid off. Despite feeling defeated and unappreciated academically, I persevered. In fact, I became inspired to prove to myself that I was still a good student. I enrolled at Cuesta College and decided that I was going to get my associate’s in one year. Little did I know that attending Cuesta would be extremely beneficial to me. My year at Cuesta helped prepare me for university and I met a lot of great people along the way. Many of my art professors from Cuesta helped me decide which artistic pathway would be best for me. Similarly, they helped me curate my portfolio and spent time outside of class to critique my work. While it was initially difficult to accept, attending Cuesta College turned out to be a great decision for me. I not only feel more confident in my work, artistic and academic, but I am excited to transfer and become part of another community. I am currently applying to four-year colleges as a transfer student and I can't wait to see where my college experience takes me. The biggest thing I've taken away from this experience is to be open to the opportunities given to me. A year ago if someone told me I would attend a community college I would never have believed them, but now I'm grateful I did. I'm so much more open-minded when it comes to future possibilities. Even now, as I'm reapplying to colleges I'm keeping my options open. I find myself excited to attend any of the colleges I might transfer to, rather than having a top school. I know that having this open mindset will be monumental in my future endeavors whether that's socially, artistically, or academically.

This semester I enrolled in a Renaissance art history course at my community college and absolutely fell in love with tenebrism and impressionism. The dramatic lighting of tenebrism and the pure colors of impressionism are two of my favorite stylistic elements. In my daily life, I often admire the bright colors of sunrises, light diffusion through the bamboo in my backyard, and the relationship between golden hour and the colors of my neighborhood. Light, to me, is one of the most beautiful parts of nature and I love trying to reflect this beauty in my artwork. Looking at some of my digital paintings, there is strong evidence of my use of pure, vibrant colors and my emphasis on lighting. My paintings also incorporate the use of strong lighting, playing off the concept of tenebrism and using dark backgrounds to create contrast. Actually, my digital art is heavily inspired by concept art created in animation and video game studios. I grew up watching animated movies from studios like Disney, Pixar, Studio Ghibli, etc., and was always amazed by the artwork, specifically the backgrounds. Even now, I often watch new animated films with my younger cousins just to study the beautiful backgrounds and lighting. One of the first movies that I ever truly appreciated for the art was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I absolutely fell in love with the watercolor backgrounds by Claude Coats. When I'm painting digitally I hope to recreate backgrounds like these, beautiful scenes that also can tell a story. I want my digital paintings to transport the viewer to another world. I want to be able to create new worlds that, as a young me once did, people can get lost in and admire with amazement and wonder. Last year, I had a difficult time applying to colleges. Despite all my hard work during high school, I only managed to get into two colleges: a private art institute and a local community college. Unfortunately, despite receiving a creative scholarship at the art college I was unable to attend for financial reasons. To avoid being upwards of $200,000 in debt, I attended a local community college for a year. This year, I am enrolled in 19 units per semester while also working a part-time job to save up for college. Now, I am reapplying to colleges as a transfer student, hoping that my hard work in college will earn me some sort of merit scholarship. A few of the art colleges I am applying to include CCA, Cal Arts, Art Center, and PNCA. Unfortunately, all of these colleges have a tuition cost that is way above my price range. While maintaining my 4.0 GPA, I am also applying to as many scholarships as I can, hoping to be able to afford one of these schools.