As a young child growing up in a poverty-stricken household deep in the ghetto of old Sacramento, I didn’t have much in the way of extravagant toys. My imagination was mostly all I had. I would play at an old run-down playground close to my home or ride my beat-up red bike up and down the road, exploring unknown parts of the neighborhood where I would imagine myself as an explorer or an adventurer.

My creative mind was always on the loose. I started learning about art during my down time when I wasn’t outside. In those moments, I would become the hero of my own story in these pencil sketches. It slowly became an outlet for me to express myself through the most difficult times of my childhood. Growing up, I learned to grow up quickly to take care of my younger siblings when my parents weren’t around. These early childhood experiences play a large role in leading me down a path that intersected with the profound desire to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

Yet, I didn’t know it then and how studying Media Arts in college or honing my creative and artistic skills would contribute to making an impact. But after several of years of switching between unfulfilling jobs, I found myself volunteering to help teach English to underprivileged ESL students in the US, and eventually, internationally. I witnessed the profound impact that it had on my students — personally and academically. I was at a point in my life that I wanted to make a difference in the world and it starts with the youth. I simply just wanted to brighten up their day. That’s really my goal.

Now, I see that I’m not just an educator or an artist. I’m someone who devotes my time and skill to creatively connect and empower others by lifting their spirits and opening their minds through creative expression. These actions foster powerful ripples of positive change.

Every artist has a unique and creative expression that aims at building connection and engaging people by utilizing a different form of communication. Words are only one way of expressing ourselves. Artistic and creative expressions present a powerful, non-verbal outlet to convey emotions, fears and joy. I see an empty canvas as a safe space where there is no right or wrong answer. It’s a nonjudgmental space where you can capture the essence of life through your own experience. Art has helped me in a lot of ways by opening myself up to my own emotions. And I want to share this enthusiasm with others to encourage a return to imagination and creativity, so that people can release and discover new ideas and possibilities by connecting with themselves in newfound ways.

Creating and designing a children’s book to address and raise awareness about children’s mental health was by far one of my proudest accomplishments. I hope to not only see more convergence between art and mental health but also to contribute to creative designs and work collaboratively with a multi-disciplinary team to have more of a positive impact.