Paper Airplanes

Maya lunged forward, reaching for a marker. She uncapped it, eager to dye her new paper airplane purple when she paused. Felt tip hovering over the paper, she glanced at me and timidly asked, “I’m drawing my family on the plane; would you be on it too?”

“Of course.”

Immediately her eyes lit up. She squiggled two stickmen, before running off to join the other children.

Maya is one of the 30 children I spend my Saturday mornings teaching arts and crafts to. Her father is incarcerated and her mother works multiple jobs. Thus, she’s always at the activity center.

Every week, I lead twenty student volunteers in creating lesson plans, like finger painting and making origami frogs. We also conduct day camps where we venture beyond the arts, engaging the children in activities like rock-climbing and Nerf blaster battles. To fund the transportation, food and facilitation costs, we’ve organized fundraisers, selling food, drinks, and self-designed stickers.

As an art student, I'm fortunate to study what I enjoy. I’m privileged to have had my father teach me to draw, and always be on the giving end. But as an art student, I’m also equipped with a medium that transcends the divides caused by age, gender, and socioeconomic background. Through volunteering, I can pass on my education opportunities to marginalized communities, providing them with a second chance. And through art, I can allow these children to experience the simple yet immeasurable elation of creation, allowing their imagination to take flight.