Fili
Garcia

Like thousands of others in San Antonio, Texas, I am a young Mexican- American woman and have a gift that I’d love to share with others. Academically, I have several accomplishments, like being a NASA High School Aerospace Scholar alumni, the high school senior class president, the National Honors Society president, a Hispanic College Board Recognition, and a student ambassador. Outside of school, I enjoy practicing my hobbies, such as cooking, playing piano, and painting- unsurprisingly, I am self-taught in all of these practices. One of my hobbies has stuck out to me like a sore thumb: art. My quiet passion didn’t stick out to only me, to my surprise. I remember the encouraging words of my first-grade teachers as they whispered to each other after I showed them a picture I drew: “Did you see her drawing?”… “Yes! It looks better than most of my fifth grader’s drawings!… “I think she might be a prodigy…”. “Prodigy” was the word that was branded into my 6-year-old mind, even though I didn’t know what it meant. Even though I don’t have access to the best materials, I gladly use the resources available to produce my best work. Unfortunately, my artistic talents have not had as many opportunities to shine since most art competitions are costly, and I cannot afford to participate. I competed in local yet expensive competitions in middle school because my school would cover most of the costs, but I’ve hidden my art pieces since then. I decided that I had enough painting for myself and my limited followers on Instagram, so I researched Arte Laguna. I hope that through this organization, I will be able to publicize my artwork and artistically accomplish as much as I have academically.