TheShield_Volume72_Issue1 by Bishop Kenny High School

Mission FIRST Crusaders ALWAYS

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

It is with great joy and excitement that we write to you as the Editors-in-Chief. After many hardships and unexpected long weekends from Hurricane Helene and Milton, we are pleased to present you with Issue 1 of Volume 72 of The Shield.

Before getting into the issue, we want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support and engagement with our publication. We appreciate everyone who has contributed, especially our advertisers and contributing writers from multimedia journalism.

In a time where our school is growing rapidly, with the new building and the abundance of students, we decided to take a step

Editors-in-Chief: Chloe Barron and Madison Bolen

Design and Layout Editor: Ally Milonas

News Editor: Serenity Mead

Features Editor: Lorelei Carlton

Opinions Editor: India Brophy

Social Media Editor: Sophia Gredenhag

Online Editor-in-Chief: Parker Fluhr

Business Manager: Glory Dansou

HR/Staff Relations: William Wainwright

Development Manager: Sami Whitney

Writing Coach: Leah Fullerton

back and look into some of the things that make Bishop Kenny the fruitful school it is today.

“Mission First, Crusaders Always” is the motto for this school year, so we take a deep dive with Principal Orlando and learn the meaning behind this new motto. Also, did you know our Principal was a professional basketball player? You can learn all about his journey on page 10.

Turning to current students at Kenny, we bring back our constant, Athlete of the Issue, that highlights the excellence of one sports player. And we have added a new constant: Artist of the Issue, showcasing the artwork and accomplishments of a

Crusader artist.

Looking at the student body as a whole, head to page 15 to see what Friday Night Lights look like on the river for our student section. Our photographers captured some great shots, and maybe you will see yourself in one!

Don’t worry; if you are not a current student at Kenny, we have some other places you can check for photos of yourself. Everyone who passes through Kenny will always be a Crusader, so feel free to explore the front and back covers of the issue for pictures of past Kenny students dating back to the late 1950s.

We hope you enjoy reading all about it in this brand new issue of The Shield.

Editorial Policy: The policy of The Shield is to provide a forum for student expression.

Staff Reporters: Siena Bakkar, Maddie Benfante, Faith Cabrey, Grace Campbell, Gianna Coyle, Joey Evans, Emma Gallup, Lindy Jakab, Gracie Kuepper, Terran Lathey, Megan Matthews, Becca Moody and Kate Reichard

Adviser: Jessica Durbin

Mission Statement:

The Shield is a student news magazine, published quarterly by journalism students at Bishop Kenny High School, dedicated to empowering and informing the student body by delivering timely, accurate and engaging stories. We strive to uphold Bishop Kenny’s core values while fostering a sense of community, promoting critical thinking and celebrating the diverse voices and achievements within our school. Through our commitment to journalistic integrity and creativity, we aim to inspire and connect our readers, creating a culture of informed and engaged students.

Advertising: If you are interested in advertising in The Shield, email newspaper@bishopkenny.org for more information.

Questions, Comments, Concerns: Letters to the editor are encouraged; submit to room 224. Names can be withheld upon request.

Contact Information: 1055 Kingman Ave., Jacksonville, Fla. 32207 (904) 265-9390 www.bktoday.org

Cover Designs | Madison Bolen

Controversial gymnastics ruling leaves Americans outraged

Principal Orlando discusses school mission

Teachers reflect on what brought them to Kenny, why they stay

Senior Sophia Nunez-Salinas

NEWS RECAP

Clockwise, from top right: The new building is coming along well as they are finishing up the main exterior. “The roof on the new athletic training center has been completed, allowing the contractors to begin work on the interior,” Director of School Facilities James Nackashi said. He added they are “looking forward to announcing a completion date very soon.” Over the summer, a group of 37 students and six adult chaperones traveled on a 9-hour flight to Europe. “My favorite thing about the Europe trip was being able to connect with a bunch of new people and make a bunch of new friends in these beautiful places that we went,” Senior Karla Flores said. Bishop Kenny hosted the twenty-sixth annual Katie

Caples Invitational. The challenging course helps to prepare runners for the upcoming season. “Katie Caples is one of the hardest courses we do, with all the turns,” senior Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima said. Bishop Kenny displays new plaques of achievement in the 200 hallway. The wall showcases all of the valedictorians from 1953 to 2024,

and the Peace and Christ Award. “I think the valedictorian speaks for itself, but the Peace in Christ award was established after Bishop Snyder died to showcase another student who does outstanding service,” administrative assistant to the Academic Office Sonia Fernandez said. “It shows a student who is special in a different way.”

Photo courtesy of Yearbook

Photo by Siena Bakkar

Photo by Gianna Coyle

Photo courtesy of Jessica Durbin

ATHLETE

of the Issue

Senior Evan Raynor pursues his journey to play golf in college

Kate Reichard | Staff reporter

He began his journey to pursue golf in college after his first hole-inone in eighth grade.

Ever since that moment, he’s strived to meet his dream of playing at the Division One or Two level.

Senior Evan Raynor has played on the Bishop Kenny Boys Golf Team for four years.

It all started when he was introduced to golf by his father, Jeremy Raynor, at a young age.

“I always saw how fun of a time he had with his friends,” Raynor said.

He has also developed a group of his own supporters and friends throughout his time playing golf for Kenny.

“I like the team atmosphere and how I’m playing with some of my good friends, always having a good time on the course,” Raynor said.

The team consists of boys from freshmen to seniors, and Raynor has been on varsity all four of his years. He has represented Kenny at state-level competitions.

This past summer, he played his best game yet. He shot sixty six at the state level, meaning he took only sixty six strokes to hit the ball and complete eighteen holes. Raynor was able to make several birdies and seal the deal with his accurate putting.

When it comes to continual improvement, Raynor says he works to put himself in the best possible position to compete.

“My weakest skill is probably my mental game,”

Raynor said.

He works through his times of mental challenge by recognizing the skills that he has excelled at during that match.

Raynor says his best skill is ball striking. Ball striking is the ability to hit the ball in the right direction with the correct technique and high accuracy. He uses this skill to provide more chances to himself to get birdies and score the best.

Training for college recruitment has Raynor’s training schedule consisting of three to four workouts per week. He also does an hour putting, ball striking, chipping, and on course time. But competing in national and state tournaments can give athletes like Raynor a chance to expose their name to college coaches.

He has played in tournaments as far as Alabama and as close to

home as Jacksonville. His parents travel with him to all of these tournaments. His parents promote his recruitment profiles and spend extra time working with him at the golf course.

He is currently ranked 78 for high school golfers in Florida and looks to improve his ranking this season.

“Trust all of the work you have put in and wait for it to pay off,” Jeremy Raynor said to Evan Raynor.

state championships.

Top to bottom: Senior Evan Raynor wins as a medalist in the match against Bolles. Raynor is currently on the path to qualify for the

MEDAL MAYHEM

Controversial gymnastics

Grace Campbell | Staff reporter

Like any young gymnast, I would have confidently told you I was going to be an Olympian. For many adolescent athletes, competing in the Olympics is their biggest dream, but only a few make it a reality. Jordan Chiles is one of the athletes who got to see her dream come true; however, her dream quickly escalated into a nightmare.

The sport of gymnastics is surrounded by controversy, whether it’s the sexual assault and abuse scandal or Simone Biles dropping out of the Olympics due to mental

“We all continue to Pursue Justice For Jordan”- UGAG

health issues; we’ve seen it all. The decision to take away U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal from the 2024 Olympic Games and give it to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu is the latest chapter in this saga.

Starting on Aug 5 at the women’s gymnastics floor finals, Jordan Chiles stepped up to perform the last routine of the competition. In the close race for a spot on

J O R D A N

ruling has left Americans outraged

the podium, Chiles needed a 13.700 or higher to beat Bărbosu for the bronze. Originally, Chiles scored just tenths short at 13.666, but her coach, Cecile Landi, noticed a mistake in the difficulty element of the score.

Per the rules of gymnastics, a score change, otherwise known as an inquiry, is allowed only in case of a mistake to the difficulty element. Chiles’ score was changed to a 13.766, moving her to the third place spot, after an inquiry filed by Lindi was approved.

The Romanian Gymnastics Federation (RGF), alongside Bărbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (the other Romanian woman originally tied at 3rd place), challenged the change to Chiles’ score saying the inquiry filed by Coach Landi was four seconds too late.

The challenge went to

court, and in a media release from Court of Arbitration for Sport, the final ruling stated that the inquiry should be overturned, meaning Chiles’ score was to be reverted to its original 13.666.

As a former gymnast, I know the overwhelming disappointment that comes with losing a medal. Chiles is not only dealing with that pain, but is forced to do so very publicly.

“The biggest thing that was taken from me was that it was the recognition of who I was,” Chiles said in her first public statement after the bronze was taken. “Not just my sport, but the person I

That was not the end of this saga. Hours after the CAS’s ruling, USAG had evidence the inquiry

submitted by Coach Landi was valid and turned in on time.

“The biggest thing that was taken from me was that it was the recognition of who I was”- Chiles

“We all continue to pursue justice for Jordan,” the USAG said in a statement on Sept. 24. This is one of many statements the USGA has made, declaring they are not going to stop fighting until the bronze is returned to Chiles.

What has happened over the last few months is an unfortunate part of gymnastics. I wish I could say this situation is rare, but in reality, gymnasts of all different levels experience upsets similar to Chiles’ at least once in their careers.

I wish the best for Chiles and hope she can find happiness in the future. If there is one thing I learned in my many years of gymnastics, it’s that when we choose to accept what has happened and try to move on, we become stronger.

MISSION FIRST CRUSADERS ALWAYS

MISSION FIRST

Principal Orlando talks about BKHS mission

Madison Bolen | Editor-in-Chief

Executing the mission, day in and day out, is how Bishop Kenny has become the institution it is known as today. Every day, everyone has a responsibility to adhere to the core values of the mission to keep the school running at its full potential.

For 36 years, Todd Orlando has been contributing to Bishop Kenny’s success by sticking to the mission first and being a Crusader always.

Born and raised in Andover, Mass., Orlando had an athletic childhood. His athleticism led him to play basketball in high school where he excelled.

Orlando attended Bentley University on an athletic scholarship for basketball; he majored in business and earned his associates degree. In the summer of 1984, Orlando was drafted by the Boston Celtics and eventually played professionally abroad (for more information about

his basketball career, check out the side bar).

After spending a few years in Germany, Orlando returned to the United States and settled in Jacksonville, Fla., working at Riverside Hospital in the business office.

He did not know a single soul in Jacksonville, so he picked up tennis and started playing with some guys at Boone Park. The receptionist there was a BK alumnus who referred Orlando to BK after overhearing that Orlando wanted to teach. That day, he went to BK to get an application, applied and got hired, and the rest is history.

Orlando has served for 22 years as principal of BK, and the motto for this school year is “Mission First, Crusaders Always.”

The first part of the motto refers to Kenny’s mission statement, and Orlando explains that being rooted in the Gospel is what sets the school apart

Orlando coaches

Principal Orlando was an X-Mod teacher earlier in his career at Bishop Kenny, and his mod won a scholarship raffle where students could win scholarships.

Photo courtesy of The Shield

Orlando poses for a picture with teammates and coach Brian Hammel from Bentley University. He played there for four years before he was drafted for the Boston Celtics in 1984.

the Girls Varsity at an away game. During his coaching Kenny, the team won three state in 1990, 1991 and 1992.

from others in Jacksonville. This faith serves as a firm foundation that keeps the community together. He says he loves how the students and faculty gather for Mass once a month and Mass is offered three times a week in the chapel.

Part of the mission of the school is to partner with parents to ensure that students are able to fulfill all of their passions and goals.

“So, it’s not just we’re all about academics, no. We’re not all about athletics, no,” Orlando said. “We’re all of those things.”

No matter what a student is interested in, Orlando wants to make certain that there is something available for everyone so that they can grow in all aspects of their lives, not just academically.

He wants students to live out this statement day in and day out because eventually, when the students go off to college, he wants them to be able to have a great time and feel confident in all of their classes.

“How you get to where you’re going, you have to work the mission every day,” Orlando said.

Everyone who has been part of Bishop Kenny will forever be part of the school’s community, and

Orlando says he wants to make Bishop Kenny a place where alumni want to come back and contribute to the community for a new generation of students.

There are third, and even fourth, generations of families attending Bishop Kenny, and students receive a “Legacy Graduate” stole to wear at graduation. Alumni Coordinator Sireen Bateh, class of ‘90, helps keep alumni aware of what’s going on at the school these days.

Orlando ultimately wants to create a community within Kenny in which everyone is striving towards servant leadership.

“Everyone is serving one another, and I think that’s what really makes Bishop Kenny a special place,” Orlando said.

Orlando says he models servant leadership by providing teachers with a straight path to teach students. He strives to remove any obstacles for them along the way so that students can continue to grow and excel at a constant pace.

“This is how I have to do it,” Orlando said. “I have to create an environment where people can do what they need to do.”

his career as a Principal at Kenny in 2002. He helps to lead his staff through servant leadership and believes strongly in the drive of the mission.

FROM HOOPS

TO HALLWAYS

Dreams spiraled in Orlando’s head about hitting the buzzer beater for his hometown NBA team: the Boston Celtics. He constantly would shoot hoops in the driveway while listening to the Celtics game on the radio.

Many kids have dreams like Orlando’s, but he had the passion, determination and talent to make them come true.

Principal Orlando was very athletic growing up and played basketball, along with soccer, during his middle school years. Once he reached high school, he decided to dedicate his time to basketball.

From high school, Principal Orlando went on to play basketball for Bentley University. He played forward center during his four years at Bentley and was able to accomplish many things on the court. Orlando had an insanely impressive career at Bentley; he won “Rookie of the Year” his first year, “Player of the Year” another year, and was on the second all-American team for Division II basketball his senior year.

After playing basketball and getting his AA degree in Management, Orlando graduated in May of 1984.

In June of 1984, Orlando was drafted in the fifth round by the Boston Celtics, who had just won the World Championship that year and probably weren’t looking to make that many changes to their team. Orlando says he was shocked.

“So to be drafted was truly very, very special

and an honor I will always cherish,” Orlando said.

Because Orlando had just been drafted by the number one team in the world, all of these European countries were contacting him. He was seen as a more valuable player after the Celtics drafted him. France and Germany offered him contracts to come play for them, but he would have to travel over there for the summer for workouts. Nevertheless, Orlando seized the opportunity and worked out with those teams over the summer. By the end, Germany had offered him a contract where he would immediately start playing for them once he signed. Orlando was a 19-yearold at the time and had to make a decision in just one short weekend about what his future was going to look like. After long consideration, Orlando decided to go play for Germany.

Playing for Germany was a great path for Orlando because it gave him the opportunity to explore Europe and avoid paying other expenses, besides gas and entertainment.

Germany was a guaranteed opportunity for him, while it could have gone either way if he were to try out for the Boston Celtics.

Orlando says he is still grateful for all of the opportunities that were presented to him during his basketball career, but he is overjoyed with where he ended up

Varsity Basketball team coaching career at state championships:

Principal Orlando starts

CRUSADERS ALWAYS

Teachers reflect on what brought them to Kenny, why they stay

Matthew Rocha

Julianna Martinez | Contributing writer

Adegree in English can open doors to many careers: editor, English teacher, all the way to full-blown author. Just grab the diploma, shake the distributor’s hand, and walk back down the endless rows of faces, all smiling and clapping their hands. While basking in the resonance of applause, one might ponder what to do with their college degree.

For Matthew Rocha, he ended up right back at the high school he’d graduated from in 2005.

“Yeah, I returned—I mean, honestly, out of the providence of God,” Rocha said.

Before he began his now three-year career at Kenny,

Kalam Daniel

Rocha hadn’t planned to come back. He and his wife had set their intentions on the Midwest—more specifically, the Hawkeye state of Iowa.

None of those plans came to fruition, and a single phone call made his life take a complete 180 degree turn in just 24 hours. Three days before school, and five days before Rocha’s move, a religion teacher at Kenny relocated, and the school had to find and secure a replacement within 72 hours.

“… [The school] just said, ‘hey, y’know—is this something that you’d want to do?”

Although Rocha had asked for 24 hours to decide, Principal Orlando promised to

Maddie Roe | Contributing writer

Agood teacher doesn’t just know the material. They have to engage students and teach them how the material is applied to the world. A good coach doesn’t just coach the sport. They set an example for athletes to be resilient on the field and in life.

Kalam Daniel strives to be all these things for students and athletes at Bishop Kenny, although his journey begins years ago when he was in our shoes. He graduated here in 2013 and decided to go to school for accounting and worked as an auditor in St. Louis. Coaching baseball was his passion, and after the initial COVID hit, he applied for a position here.

He started teaching probability and statistics. He says his goal as a teacher is to make students interested in learning statistics.

“Statistics is something that they’re going to use no matter what they do,” Daniel said.

“Whether you want to be in the medical field, business, or engineering, statistics are everywhere.”

Playing a sport, just like learning, requires a lot of perseverance.

“It’s a game of failure,“ Daniel said. “You fail more times than you succeed.”

As a coach, Daniel enjoys most when athletes begin to gain confidence as they win more. One fond memory is when the baseball

call back the next day—which wasn’t even 12 hours—and they expected an answer.

“… So we just kind of prayed about it and, you know, talked with my wife,” Rocha said. “She was like, ‘I really think you need to take this.’ So we decided that I was going to [take the job].”

Out of anyone who could have been called, an English major may not be expected, but Rocha has proven himself a great fit for the job.

“It’s hard to have an appreciation when you’re in high school,” Rocha said. “But now that I’ve become [a teacher], I get to know [my old teachers]. And they know you as a student, and now they get to kind of know you as a mentor. But I still have

Rocha says it’s “really cool to reconnect” with teachers who once taught him at Kenny.

a tremendous amount of respect for them.”

team made it to the state championship game. Even though the team’s record wasn’t the best, the run it had through the playoffs was enjoyable, he says..

Daniels’ job isn’t just to help the team win, but to support athletes for years to come. According to him, it’s the coach’s job to help prepare students for college baseball. The mental pressure of playing on a college level is different from what players experience up to that point.

Through his years of experience, his best advice is to not give in when bad things happen.

“If they see you give up, then they’re going to get used to giving up as well.”

After working in accounting in St. Louis, Daniel moved back to Jacksonville to teach at Bishop Kenny.

Ashleigh Bradley

Rod Danan | Contributing writer

As a freshman, Ashleigh Bradley stepped onto the grounds of a growing Bishop Kenny High School. Her mind was already made up: she would become a teacher.

During her years of being an academic dean, she always reminisced about her years as a student.

“I will say that when I was a student here, there weren’t as many service clubs, or you know, there weren’t as many clubs,” Bradley said. “And so I didn’t really participate too much in the life of the school outside my classes.”

Bradley was a student for Bishop Kenny from 1992 to 1996. She moved on to college at the University of North Florida.

“I did my undergraduate

Tim

Hendricks

there, and then I actually went back. So I graduated from Bishop Kenny in 1996 and I went back that summer, actually, I started at UNF, and then graduated in August of 2000,” Bradley said. “From there, I started teaching right away.”

After graduation from UNF, Bradley taught at San Juan del Rio for years, also taking time off to be a stayat-home mother. When she returned to teach at Bishop Kenny, it was to room 209, teaching English 1.

Her pursuit of a teaching career came from one of her past teachers, Evelyn Guilfoyle, who taught English at Christ the King. Gulifoyle would implant the idea of being a teacher into Bradley’s brain, bringing her to the person she is today.

Joymal Bestman | Contributing writer

As the bus pulls up and the doors open, Tim Hendricks greets students with a warm smile as they start their day at Bishop Kenny.

“I started working at Bishop Kenny about four years ago as a sub,” he explains.

It wasn’t long before he found himself committing to more.

“Now, I’m teaching fulltime, driving the bus, and still subbing when I can.”

Hendricks teaches three Environmental Science classes, a subject he’s comfortable with as he taught it before.

“It’s going well,” Hendricks said. “I’m getting the hang of it much more.”

Before his teaching days, he had a career as a meteorologist, spending nearly 30 years in the field.

During her years of teaching, what she found as her favorite part was “the light bulbs going off.”

“So when the students understand something that I’m teaching and I just see that moment of like, ‘I get it.’ I think it’s pretty cool to watch that happen,” Bradley said.

Since 2017, Bradley has served as Academic Dean at Kenny, and currently also teaches a writing class. Her favorite part of being an academic dean is still the same as a teacher, seeing the lightbulbs going off in the students she helps.

As a teacher and parent, the ideal student and child to her is one that does the right thing when no one is around.

“Character is the mark of a person’s true character,”

Bradley said. “It’s what they do when no one’s looking, and they’re doing the right thing.”

His work took him to far-off places like Texas, Guam and Hawaii, where he specialized in everything from violent supercell thunderstorms to destructive typhoons.

One of his proudest accomplishments was organizing a tsunami conference in Honolulu.

“It took six months to put together,” he recalls proudly.

“I had to line up speakers from France, Hawaii, California and Oregon.”

Hendricks’ interest in weather began when he was growing up in Michigan.

“We had a couple of big storms hit our house, and I was always paying close attention to tornadoes and hurricanes as a kid. The beauty of weather is that it’s always changing,” he shares.

When asked who inspired him, Hendricks pointed to Chuck Doswell, a renowned

meteorologist and professor, as one of his role models.

“He was the guy, the one who did groundbreaking research on tornadoes,” he says.

Though he’s still adjusting to his role as a fulltime teacher, Hendricks is committed to growing in his new profession.

“I’ve still got to take a few college classes and go through some certification process,” Hendricks said. “Hopefully, I become fully certified.”

From meteorology to teaching, Hendricks has never stopped exploring exciting new opportunities, always growing, always moving forward and always eager to face the next adventure.

“I’ve always wanted to try new things. I might not be great at everything, but it’s

important to keep an open mind and always be willing to learn.”

Bradley has four sons and one daughter, all of whom have attended Bishop Kenny.

Outside of school, Hendricks enjoys golfing and taking care of his two cats, Bella and Katara.

HURRI ANE DISASTER RELIEF

THE BISHOP KENNY COMMUNITY, LED BY CAMPUS MINISTRY & STUDENT GOVERNMENT, IS PARTNERING WITH CATHOLIC CHARITIES TO SUPPORT THOSE IN OUR DIOCESE IMPACTED BY HURRICANES HELENE & MILTON. By contributing to this cause, you’ll directly assist both immediate & long-term recovery efforts, addressing needs that are often overlooked by traditional aid Every donation matters

Who We Are: The Diocese of St. Augustine includes a large and vibrant Catholic population Here’s a snapshot of our diocese:

- Total Population: 2,425,334 - Registered Catholics: 176,400 - Diocesan Parishes: 54 - Diocesan High Schools: 5 - Diocesan Elementary Schools: 24 - Special Education Schools: 1 - Total Catholic School Students: 10,788

We invite all students, families, fac ulty, staff, alumni, & supporters to join us in this mission As the hands & feet of Christ, we are called to serve our brothers and sisters in their time of need Let’s unite & show our #CrusaderPride by making an impact together!

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Student section on the river

Chloe Barron | Editor-in-Chief

BK v Beachside, Sept. 20, USA theme: Every game has a different theme, with some past themes being pink out, red out, black out, USA, wild west, neon and even superheroes.

BK v Episopal, Aug. 30, red out theme: This year, a Canvas group brings together select students to help lead Friday night lights.

BK v Beachside, Sept. 20, USA theme: Seniority always comes first when in the student section. Freshman at the top, sophomores in front of them, then juniors and seniors in the very front.

BK v Episopal, Aug. 30: Tickets for the games can be bought at gofan.com for $9.

BK v Bolles, Sept. 13, black out theme: With rival schools, scores can be tight, but BK fans show their spirit for the team and the school, especially with dressing out, and following the theme.

BK v Episopal, Aug. 30: During the football season, fans head down to the river for Friday night home games.

Photos by Faith Cabrey, Grace Campbell, Emma Gallup and Gracie Kuepper

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

AP Art student draws portfolio as reflection of self

Leah Fullerton | Writing Coach

Senior Sophia NunezSaliñas is president of Art Club and the artist featured in this issue’s Artist Spotlight.

Her passion for drawing and illustration has guided her through life since she was very young.

“Art has just become a part of who I am,” NunezSaliñas said.

This year, Sophia is taking AP Drawing. The ultimate goal in her class, like the other AP art classes, is to create a portfolio of artwork to submit for review by the College Board.

Each portfolio has a different concept, handpicked by the artist.

“The concept behind my portfolio this year is portraying how my experiences as a high school senior parallel experiences from–and mark the end of–my childhood,” Nunez-Saliñas explained.

One of her pieces, she explained, will feature her

perched on the ledge of a pool deck. In the reflection will be her younger-self. Her goal with this piece is to compare her growth as a swimmer from where she started–at just five years old–to her senior year, now competing for her last year.

“I hope to capture the feeling of nostalgia and what it’s like to grow up and have things be so different from how they once were,” NunezSaliñas said.

Sophia hopes to pursue a career in art. Recently, her artwork was reviewed by professionals at Ringling College, who agreed that her talent was best-suited to illustration; however, Sophia says she would prefer to work in the animation industry.

“In an ideal world, I’d love to work behind the scenes on animated shows and movies, but I’ll honestly go wherever the wind takes me,” Nunez-Saliñas said.

Sophia asserted that

there is no direct path to improving in one’s art. She concluded that the best method to success is to keep practicing, and she hopes that young artists understand that not every art piece will be perfect. Every attempt, no matter the outcome’s quality, will help you to improve your art.

“Make things that you like,” NunezSaliñas said. “Stop comparing yourself to other artists, and never give up. The world wants to hear your voice, so go and show them what you can do.”