For my bronze medal, I created a representation of my experience as a youth sailor in Miami, the storms I faced, and the symbols of home that highlight my core memories of the water. On one side, I have a laser-printed image of myself when I was nine years old, getting ready to go sailing while gripping my life jacket and looking out confidently ahead while I look forward to the future. Behind my self-portrait, I hand-sculpted a sailing scene, which includes a portrayal of all the different classes of sailboats I have raced in my life and the energy and flow of the wind and waves across the bay. As nine-year-old me looks out in the distance, I express my determination and foresight. My future experiences are depicted through impressions of sailboats on rough seas under a blazing, vibrant sun. On the other side of the medal is a hand-drawn then laser-printed map of Miami, where I incorporate the topographical land along with symbols and names of the places most meaningful to me from home. In the map, I include patches of cross-hatching strokes where I mapped the storms I encountered while sailing on Biscayne Bay and dated the year I sailed through them. This map documents my impactful moments out on the water as I experienced the great forces of Mother Nature and managed to harness the wind and sail through physical and emotional storms. This bronze is a documentation of my experiences that reflect my growth as a youth sailor. Noting the locations of hardship and survival reminds me of the importance of adaptability and the experiences that shape the person I am today. The two mediums I use have independent meanings as the laser-cut images are marked, concrete recordings of events. I used the oil clay medium to illustrate the flow and energy of my childhood memory. The oil clay and laser-cut mediums together commemorate my past, demonstrating the lessons learned and the resilience gained through navigating youth sailing.
