I chose the theme “Childhood” for my final project because growing up was probably the best time I will experience throughout my life. Children are filled with innocence, creativity, and imagination. They don’t have many stressors in their daily lives. I wanted to capture some of the more light hearted moments in life using my younger sister, Gabriella, as my model. She’s nine years old and absolutely full of energy. Like all kids, she enjoys playing with her friends outside. Hearing her giggle while running around and playing tag reminded me of a time when I was younger. I saw myself in her. I had forgotten what it was like to just play a game of tag and run around with kids in your neighborhood, just as I’m sure most people do as they age. I hope this project will remind viewers of a more simple time; a time where the world was whatever we imagined it could be.

My little sister is in competitive gymnastics so she doesn’t have much time to just be a kid. She has practice for five hours a day, five days a week. By using her as my model in this project, it gives the two of us a reason to spend some time together since we’re both usually occupied with something else. Not only does this project allow me to show the purity in growing up, it also means I’m able to spend more time with my younger sister and build a stronger relationship with a family member that I love yet only see for a few hours each day.

My name is Vanessa Khachik. I’m fourteen years old and was born in Orlando, Florida, on August 8th, 2002. I moved to Vancouver, WA, in the summer of ‘09 with my mom, dad, and younger sister. I’ve been here ever since. Currently, my weekends have mostly been spent traveling around Washington and Oregon, cheering on my little sister in her gymnastic competitions. Family is important to me so I do spend a lot of time with family and close friends. I’m also vegetarian because of how much I love animals. I hope to be able to work with them later on in life.

From a young age, I’ve always had a creative and wild imagination but I was unable to express it through other forms of art. I’m not very artistic when it comes to drawing but I’ve always admired photography, which is why I took this course. I do my best to go out and take photos but I do wish I had nicer equipment. I hope to continue to progress in my photography even after this class ends. I’m also a boxer. I’ve been boxing since 7th grade. Through boxing, I’ve met some of my closest friends and was able to train with some impressive professional boxers. It also taught me discipline, good teamwork skills, and confidence. Boxing and the fighting community in general has played a huge part in who I am today. Growing up, my parents were never too strict. I had a close relationship with my mom growing up and she always taught me, above anything else, to be a good person. Those words I take to heart. I always try to go out of way and open my arms to others, even when it’s not convenient to me, because that’s how I was raised. It pains me to see humans who are cold and cruel to one another. Being kind and respectful has always been incredibly important to me.