Go to college & bring the knowledge back to Haiti

When I was four I created my first drawing. It was a dolphin breaching out of the ocean as the sun set in the distance. My parents called it a masterpiece hanging it above their massive headboard.  It was relatively small and crumpled after the numerous times I had erased and redrawn the dolphin, but it was so important to them. They marveled at it and fostered my grandiose ideas.  Art became my second language. It wasn’t a hobby, it was my destiny. If I could have had a job at that age it would be drawing for my family and friends, I even signed a few paintings.  I broadened my artistic spectrum and spent most of my time exploring my skills in sculpting, painting, drawing, digital art, and writing.  I decided that I was going to be a fashion designer because I loved colors. So my aunts and uncles bought me tons of fashion stencils to design clothing and consulted me on any renovation projects going on. Throughout middle school I realized that the fashion industry was too limited for me. I had moved on to making miniature houses using recycled pieces to make furniture and buildings.  I felt that my depth was in architecture.  

               We moved to Haiti in 2010, I was in 4th grade. My parents decided to move our family so that they could assist in the efforts after the disaster. Our people’s depression was tangible to me, life seemed to rush at a hundred miles an hour. It felt that you just couldn’t be proactive enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  During middle school I realized that my duty, no matter what I decided to study, was to bring back the knowledge I would absorb.  I understood that if I could be exposed to techniques and innovations from abroad it would be the most important tool to positively change my country.  I would be doing something that I loved in building disaster resistant homes and infrastructure, something that we desperately need here. I have spent the last few years visiting and recreating monuments, analyzing home structures, participating in drawing competitions, and building on Minecraft and other digital art tools.

            Some might say I’m naïve, but I believe that I can be the sequela needed to restructure Haiti’s handicapped foundation.  Too many of our generations have left and kept the knowledge obtained away from our country.  I am willing to learn from the best and bring those tools back to make a change.

Why can’t a small dolphin drawing lead to rebuilding a nation? 

Most people who know me already know this story, none of us know the end.  But let's make this a happy ending where you help me reach my goal and positive change for many people living in urban chaos.

I will need this money raised to help pay for my first year of college and travel expenses to leave Haiti. 

I can't do this without your help.  
Thank you soooooo much!

Stazia