- The Golden FieldsMy BodyMusicA Little FunYou’re Not AloneEmbraceThe Mermaids of the Sickened SeaThe Hope in MusicSubliminalGrowing Flower TreeParentsIsolationwpDiscuzNever Too LateSy(STEM)ic Sexism – Rosalind FranklinThe Scapegoated MinorityJustice for EveryoneOil Pastel Cat
Melissa Peng
12th Grade
Rodriguez High School
Solano County
“My final semester of high school is underway, and graduation rapidly approaches. 2023 is the year I finally leave home and explore the world, through my higher education. 2022 was largely a year of comforts for me; still in the same town, with the same people, and the same routines that I have been living for the past several years. Leaving will bring discomfort, but I know that doing so will allow me to grow into my best self. Many of my peers feel the same way, especially those moving even further away. One of my best friends is planning on moving across the country for college, and despite the sorrow I feel in knowing we will be separated soon, I know that we are all moving on to bigger and better things. This sentiment of shedding old skin is portrayed in my painting through the fading of a high school varsity jacket. In the background, there is also symbolism. To the right, there is scenery from my hometown. To the left, which I am facing in this self-portrait, is the town of my dream college. I look forward to the new experiences that 2023 brings, and the optimistic glow of the painting reflects this. This year, my hope for myself and everyone around me is for us to grow and undergo our own personal metamorphosis into a better version of ourselves.”