Alejandra Velasco

I would like to assemble this sculpture at Stephen M. White Middle School; the middle school I personally attended. My alma mater is located in a low income community that predominantly serves students of color. As a result, many of these students will be first generation college students and/or do not have individuals in their lives to personally guide or mentor them. As I am able to relate, this public art piece will recognize these struggles. As a result, it is essential for these middle school students to be reminded that they can/will be successful despite their life circumstances. This art piece will serve as a constant reminder of the prominent individuals who were able to succeed despite the disparities in our community/educational system. Scales of Justice The scales of justice are purposely uneven to represent the inequality and educational gap these students are enduring. They are attending the Los Angeles Unified School District, a district that lacks funding and resources for the students they serve. Nonetheless, on campus, students are faced with disparities in and out of the classroom as teachers/administrators are selective on who to support and provide educational guidance too (based on my personal experience). Learning The sculpture starts with a book and ends with a graduation cap to reflect the continuous learning in one's life. Whether an individual decides to attend higher education or not, individuals are constantly learning and growing in every aspect of life. I believe this work is important because in middle school we see an increase of students struggling with mental and physical health. I have always called middle school the “the worst time of my life.” I witnessed bullying every day. Students began experimenting with alcohol, drugs and their sexuality. Nonetheless, I had middle school teachers that told me I would “never get into a good college.” If students are being surrounded by peers and adults that don't believe in them, they need to find inspiration elsewhere. As a result, as they walk through their campus, I hope they would find inspiration in seeing this sculpture and seeing names of individuals who succeeded and came from the same middle school. I would like the sculpture to be 5ft tall because that is the average height of middle schoolers. Considering height allows for students to be interactive with the sculpture. They would be able to touch it, pay close attention to detail, and thoroughly read the names of the successful individuals engraved on the sculpture. This allows for students to have a more personal interaction with the sculpture and perhaps do more research. For example, I would really like for the students to search up the individuals' names on google and maybe find someone to potentially look up to. I would like for my project to be up until it disintegrates. I believe this piece can symbolize inspiration and success for the middle school students. This underlying symbolism can motivate them to continue moving forward. In addition, I believe this public art piece can serve as symbolism for the teachers and administrators on the campus. I would like for the art piece to be a constant reminder that all students have the potential to be successful and students' career trajectory cannot be commented on or foreseen in middle school. As a result, I would like this project to be continuously evolving. For example, I would like to continue engraving names onto the sculpture of prominent individuals from that middle school. I believe this reflects the continous growth of the students from that middle school and how there is always an opportunity to have your name be on the art piece. This project for me is a passion project stemmed from a personal experience at my middle school, Stephen M. White Middle School. This project is meant to inspire all the students who reside in a marginalized community. In addition, the project is meant to serve as a reminder for teachers/administrators that they cannot measure students' success based on their performance in the classroom. This project will be installed in the middle of Stephen M. White Middle School. I specifically chose this location because all students, teachers, and administrators would be forced to walk by it everyday on campus. I believe this location will have the most impact, visibility, and attention. Most school events would be in the direct area as the statue; as a result, the piece can be constantly referenced and be a talking point. The art piece will be unique to the middle school. It will represent individuals and the successes of those individuals who once attended the middle school. The art piece will represent a variety of career paths as a method to expand students' mindsets and foster conversations of career trajectories. While I attended this middle school, success was defined as being “an attorney, doctor, or engineer.” I believe this art piece will challenge this fixed mindset and stigma of success on their campus. Stephen M. White Middle School serves students who live in the City of Carson, CA. These students are predominately students of color that are recognized as low income. As a result, many of these students will be first generation college students and or navigating the job market with little to no knowledge. This art piece will symbolize the ability and potential to succeed despite where these students came from. These students often do not have family members or individuals to look up to. This art piece gives students the ability to find someone that they can look up to that they relate to.