Student Art & Writing Contest: Featured Winner

"To me, hands have been very symbolic during the pandemic because our dependence on touch and physical contact has been greatly inhibited. It never ceases to shock me how now, when I see people touch each other, or touch their faces, which I tried to capture in my first two paintings, I have almost this visceral aversion to it. A whole new set of rules guide our behavior."

"I think we all went through, or are currently going through, a phase of feeling imprisoned by the pandemic. I had a time period of just mourning the loss of normalcy, where life just felt less bright. But in the end, the beauty of this devastating time period is that it has allowed me to appreciate the natural world with greater intensity. I’ve always felt healing from nature, but my connection to the environment felt so much deeper when it became a primary place of safety. I’ve talked to many friends and family members about discovering new hikes and parks this year. It’s amazing what you can get out of just going on a walk and being present with water, vegetation, and every other natural component of the outdoors."

"I think it’s so important that we reflect on who has access to nature and how we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to find peace and healing in it. I feel so privileged to have access to green spaces and know that’s not the case uniformly across the United States and other nations. That kind of choice architecture can have profound impacts on the well-being of community members and make them more resilient to climate impacts, such as heat waves."