Week-16

News in Silicon Valley!!/Miscellaneous

Hi Guys! I hope everyone has been having an excellent week! My week has been packed, helping my family, completing household chores, and a fan favorite; completing mountains of school work! Never the less, I am grateful for the weekend, although tomorrow another busy week begins. 

sarcastically cheers, "Yay!" 

Anyways, when I started this website, I really wanted to highlight the diverse opportunities in Silicon Valley. Living in Silicon Valley, many have labeled my family, friends, peers, and I as people who are obsessed with technology and see it as a prominent part of their future. But I don't think that's true, I think there are so many other voices to be heard! So many others whose stories are different and unique. Whether you're a cook, a writer, a artist, a teacher, or a student, your story is worth hearing! That's the goal of, Faces of Silicon Valley! 

So in Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara Library District held a Teen Bookmark Contest! The prompt was to create a bookmark that embodied the idea of Adventure Beginning at your Library! There are winners from every city in Santa Clara Library District and their bookmarks would be distributed across libraries. I had the pleasure of speaking with one of their winners! In fact, you know her pretty well! It's me! I was unable to get a hold of any other winners, so I had an associate interview me! 

Here's our interview transcript:

Q: What inspired you to enter the Santa Clara Library District Bookmark Contest? 

That's a great question! Last year, I entered the age group of being a teen! The district has a lot of opportunities for teens, and I really wanted to participate in those activities and opportunities! I've always loved doodling on the side and creating little things, and I love coming up with quirky little ideas for prompts like this! So it was literally perfect, and I got to work! 

Q: So now we have the why for your reason for entering! But now, we'd like to find out what inspired you to create your unique design?

This is actually a great story...literally! Growing up, I've always loved the Ramona and Beezus Series. So I mostly got inspiration from that! In the book, Ramona and her Dad, and parts of the movie, Ramona describes wishing to visit two places at once. I don't exactly remember which places it were, but I based my idea off of that. So at the top of the page, I drew Ramona hanging from monkey bars, inspiration from one of the book covers. Since monkey bars were Ramona's favorite pastime as a child, it seemed fit. Next I drew two important monuments in America. I chose one close to home, and another close to a lot of people. I drew the Golden Gate Bridge, because I've always loved visiting it as someone who lives quite close to San Francisco. Next, I drew the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty in New York. The Brooklyn Bridge kind of connected to the Golden Gate Bridge in my drawing, so it all worked out! The Statue of Liberty is really important to our country, because it was a rite of passage for immigrants coming into the United States. So quite literally, it was an adventure, because for these immigrants coming into a new country, was quite an adventure! Then I added some fancy lettering, and a dove. Now the dove was kind of random. Because I didn't want Ramona to just being hanging in the sky with nothing near her, so I added a bird. I chose a dove because traditionally, doves and pigeons were used for sending messages. 

Q: When did you find out you won? What was your reaction?

I actually found out a couple of weeks ago through email, and I was really surprised. I always thought that the key take-away from the bookmark was the idea I wanted to convey, not really the artistic aspects. So I was really relieved to see that the judges had understood my take on the prompt. 

Overall, it was a really nice experience, because more than the prize I loved sharing my work with young readers. I actually added a note on the bookmark, to check out the Ramona and Beezus series, because I really hope to bring other young readers, the same joy I had gotten. So more than anything, I'm glad that piece of my work is coming along on a journey with new and young readers. 

Q: On that note, how do you feel knowing others are going to be using your bookmark. 

Honestly, it's not as overwhelming as I thought it would be. Like I said early the concept of my bookmark really focuses on the idea I wanted to convey, the bookmark being centered on the Ramona and Beezus theme. Ramona and Beezus was such a pivotal part of my childhood, I was always reading the series. The character, Ramona really shaped my personality. I grew up with Ramona, learning from her mistakes and it was important for me to convey that. Next year, I'm going to high school, and there's so much of my younger years that I'm leaving behind. So doing this contest for teenagers, and including a part of my childhood was really important and special to me. 

I was really worried that others wouldn't see it this way, or that they might see it as childish, or they might not even understand it at all. But my message got through, and now I'm inspiring other readers to check out these book series! I had one of my friends come up to me with my bookmark and say, "Congratulations, I've never read the Ramona and Beezus Series, but now I'm sure to check it out!" And that was really a highlight, I love that I could inspire others and give them a glimpse into such a momentous part of my childhood. 

Q: What would you say to other teenagers who are looking to enter the contest again? What would you say to those who didn't win?

For other teenagers looking to enter the contest, I'd tell them to think outside of the box. The best ideas are really unexpected yet they spark a light bulb in everyone's minds. So don't give yourself any restricting criteria. It's your design, to think outside the box. And of course, put your 100% into it, if you really want something, there's no stopping you! 

For those who didn't win, I'd tell them to look at it differently. You gained a new experience, you encouraged yourself to put your work out there! That takes courage! I'm really proud of you for putting your work out here! Art is subjective, and your bookmark is still beautiful. Keep trying and never give up! You got this!

Q: How long did it take you to finalize your bookmark? Did you have any challenges during the creative process?

It took me about two months. It's not like I worked continuously on the design, I just did it between summer classes and spending quality time with my family and friends. When I read the prompt, I came up with a story, so I actually like to write a lot, and I came up with this whole backstory and everything. 

So there's this girl named Nina Martinez and she lives with her single mom. They had big dreams to travel the world together, but her mom was always working hard to support as a waitress, and they just couldn't pay for a lavish trip. Nina loved to read and she really wanted to venture out of their small apartment in Los Angeles. So one day, in her empty apartment while her mom is at work, Nina opens a book. She's lying on the floor and she reads this book and she gets transported to New York. It's this whole adventure, and it makes her feel better, despite not being able to venture out in the world. And, New York City and San Francisco City have always been monumental or key places in my life, so I chose those as the places Nina ventures. 

Honestly, I feel coming up with a story really helped me visualize how I wanted the bookmark to turn out, so it's definitely some advice that I'll share with others. Overall, I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and I'm excited to work with others and checking out new ideas!

Well, that's a wrap. Thanks for sharing your insights and taking the time to complete this interview. Congrats on your win! 

Thanks for having me! 

Alright guys, hope we enjoyed that interview, and before we sign off it's everyone's favorite; housekeeping!! 

said in a singy-songy voice :) 

Faces of Silicon Valley News!! 

1) Reminder: Please contact me if you'd like to be interviewed! Common Misconception, but you don't need to live in Silicon Valley or have any ties to it. Faces of Silicon Valley highlights stories in Silicon Valley, but we're open to connecting more communities together! So you can be interviewed, if you're a student, a worker, a cook, a young or old entrepreneur! We'd love to hear your story! Just contact us at my Contact Us page! I'm very close to completing October's interview, and I'm completing the interview process for November applicant. So please, please, contact us! Thanks for all your help! We also have added a new part of our interview process, making it smooth, efficient, and easier! Just click this link, if you're interested: https://forms.gle/PR82B3phpjVTFeKr8

2) Please feel free to comment your ideas, thoughts, comments, or just about anything appropriate! We're happy to connect with more people! If you or someone you know would like to be involved in Faces of Silicon Valley's Interview Process, just let us know using our application, and we'll be happy to get back to you! 

3) Feel free to inform others about Faces of Silicon Valley, and the exciting posts, information, interviews, stories, and more that we share here! We'd love to gain a greater viewer following, so we can expand more! 

4) Respond to the comment prompt, and share your thoughts. This way we can ensure that everyone has a voice and we'll be able to forge and connect new communities!! So make sure to comment, even if a week has passed! We will still be happy to reply to your thoughts and connect with you! We might even invite you to share your thoughts as part of our community stories!

This Week's Comment Prompt: We all have something that we're passionate about, share what you're passionate about in the comments! Add any advice you have for others aspiring in that same passion! Thanks for participating! Have a great week!