I'm a 19-year-old artist & student at University of Washington Seattle. When I was in 11th grade, I learned Juanita Creek – the salmon-spawning stream in my community of Kirkland, WA – had only 3 salmon return to spawn. Every day I’d pass Juanita Creek on my drive to school - yet I never paid much attention to the hidden stream. Many of Lake Washington’s urban creeks are completely hidden under culverts, flowing below paved roads. Juanita Creek had become “out of sight, and out of mind”. On my daily commute to school, I would pass a 112-foot blank boring wall across from Juanita Creek. As an artist, I realized I could combine these two problems – hidden streams, and blank dull walls. My simple idea grew into a big idea: using my love of art to educate, excite, and engage my community in restoring Juanita Creek. My first “Save Our Salmon (SOS) Mural” was born. Since that first SOS Mural, I've made it my mission to expand the power of public art into more communities. In 2022, I won the Barron Prize for Young Heroes, and SOS was named one of the top 15 national projects making communities better.
Urban ArtworksUrban ArtWorks is a Seattle-based nonprofit with a mission to engage youth and communities in the creation of public art that inspires connections and honors their voices. Urban ArtWorks hosts Community Paint Days all across Western Washington to bring public art to life.
Salmon WatchersThe University of Washington SalmonWatchers program - founded and led by UW Bothell biology professor Dr. Jeff Jensen - works with students and community volunteers to positively impact streams like McAleer Creek. Projects include building egg incubators and natural resources for salmon to thrive.
