Week 6 Post: Stencil

I had a hard time deciding on what my stencil was going to be. Various things hold real and true value to me, but also I am not the best artist in the world so I have very limited options here. So I ended up deciding that my stencil was going to be an outline of the California state flag with the bear in the center and with the letter 209 above the bear. The numbers 209 represent the area code from where I am from. This area code covers what is known as the Central Valley of California that includes the cities of Stockton, Modesto, Manteca, Ripon, Merced and etc. I am specifically from Modesto, however, the 209 is all like one big family. Despite the economic hardships and high crime rates that plague many cities in the 209, they are some of the most genuine and caring people you will ever meet. We bond over these similar hardships that each and everyone face, people from different cities understand your struggles because they are solely unique to the 209 sectors of the Central Valley. Due to the absence of big businesses and corporations in the 209 people often work agricultural jobs or minimum wage jobs at the local Mcdonalds or Wendy's but let me tell you something. People from the 209 have this grit and toughness to them to keep pushing forward in life and making the best out of the cards they were dealt with and so far I have not been to any other city that is composed of these characteristics to the same degree as people from the 209. So with this being said, I am proud to be able to represent the small population of students that are from the 209 at UCLA. This might sound cliche but if it wasn't for me being raised in Modesto, I truly believe I would not be in the position I am in today. I would not have the mental strength and perseverance that I attain today if it wasn't for my community. So I am choosing this as my stencil on the cover of my sketchbook to show appreciation to my community and also for it serve as a little reminder of where my roots are from! I am still unsure how I will use my stencil as an image on the inside of my textbook, but I will figure that out soon!