Reflection

Reflection

Stubby legs shaking from exhaustion, chubby hands struggling to hold a bucket the size of a backpack, and a determined face. That was me–a preschooler in Korea. Every week, my teacher would take the class into a nearby forest to gather various vegetables. I vividly remember how accomplishing it felt to carry home a bucket filled with radish or cabbage after trudging through fallen branches/leaves over endless hills. In California, the next big step of my journey occurred in junior high when I joined a volunteer group. My service consisted of planting trees/flowers in parks and low income schools. Although it was hard work every weekend, it was rewarding to not just enjoy nature myself, but to provide the beauty of it for others. In highschool, with the skills I learned from my volunteering, I created my own garden. I grew roses, tomatoes, etc, over the months. I wanted to express my love for flowers and gardening through this painting and my inspiration comes from these experiences. I used acrylic, my favorite medium, to paint myself connected to the vines of my tomato plant and the flowers of my garden. They are rooted in me and strengthen me to thrive. Being creative gives me motivation and, through this contest, I’ve learned that motivation and passion goes a long way. My passion for growing beautiful flowers and motivation to let others enjoy nature with me has shaped me into who I am today. I’m sending the message that we can all create our own type of “garden”. Leaders can create “gardens” in governments, parents can create “gardens” By teaching children about global warming and preserving nature, and students can create “gardens” by volunteering with environmental groups. Through these small steps, we can save our flowers, our gardens, our Earth.