My favorite type of art is oil painting, specifically conceptual abstract expressionism, where I treat the canvas as a void that I can fill with stories and realities that are not my own. I also like to experiment with distorting the human figure to the point where I can create something inhuman and truly let go of any boundaries. I want my art to make people take a second glance and not be able to look away. At the same time, I want them to try to piece together what it could or couldn’t mean.

I find my inspiration in the darker parts of life and the unknown, sacrificing my mind to go beyond the scope of the day-to-day because I feel a pull toward lives unknown that could possibly exist in some way, shape, or form.

I would use $25,000 as a down payment on a home for my family. As a college student, I carry with me the weight of everything my parents have sacrificed so I could be here and pursue my dreams—sacrifices so great that we are now without a home. Every step I take forward is because of everything they gave up for me. From the moment they came to this country, they have worked tirelessly, putting my future before their own comfort, stability, and security. They gave me opportunities they never had.