Rooted in Resilience

I was in eighth grade the first time I heard the word "resilience." Unsure what it meant, I asked my English teacher, and she explained that resilience described someone's capability to be tough and recover from challenges. "Like the way a sponge bounces back," I noted.

Five years later, reflecting on the theme for this art project, I am reminded of 13-year-old me. She knew she was resilient indeed, but she had no idea just how tough she really was.

Going to community college and transferring was a trailblazing leap, and there were many times where I doubted myself, my education, and my abilities. Not many of my peers went to community college, and I felt unsure if I would truly succeed in and after transferring. Community college came with its own set of challenges. I had to learn to adapt to more difficult (yet rewarding) classes, new class structures, and a more diverse classroom environment. Looking back at my time at community college, I really learned a lot about myself, and how tough I really was. It takes courage and determination to put yourself out there and take charge of your own education. I carved a path for myself as unique as myself. 

Today, I am proud of the woman I have grown into, and I know my 13-year-old self would by my biggest fan. As such, I would like to dedicate this piece, "Rooted in Resilience" to 13-year-old me and to the younger selves of all UCSD transfer students whoever doubted they would make it. We did it, you guys! 

When creating this piece, I started with a sponge, my aforementioned first association to the word "resilience." After staring at the page for a (way too) long time, inspiration struck, and I realized I wanted to incorporate the phrase: "bloom where you are planted" into my piece. This phrase encourages people to grow and succeed in their current istuation, and by extension, be resilient. 

Where there was a green sponge, I now saw a blossoming, vibrant meadow, complete with a babbling brook. At the center, I placed myself as a reminder to stop and smell the flowers every once in a while. After all, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Being resilient can be physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting, and by placing myself in the sponge meadow, I remind myself to center myself to my goals and re-energize myself for the work ahead. I am today, and I hope to remain, rooted in resilience.