My capstone project, EcoSTEM, is a sustainability and STEM-based initiative aimed at educating and empowering youth, particularly in underfunded and marginalized communities. The project originally began as a video game concept with three key missions: turn trash into treasure, clean up the community, and teach others about environmentalism. However, after testing and feedback, I realized the game lacked tangible impact. I pivoted the project, becoming “Player One” in real life—putting myself in the center of the mission to inspire change.

Rooted in personal experiences and passions, EcoSTEM was shaped by moments from my childhood: growing up in an environmentally conscious neighborhood, falling in love with STEM through a summer camp robotics experience, and seeing my creative work spark inspiration in younger students. These moments made me realize how powerful it is to give back—and how critical it is to provide access to sustainable innovation and creative technology for kids like me.

Through this capstone, I partnered with organizations, pitched to companies like Braskem to receive recycled 3D printer filament, and developed workshop ideas to educate youth on sustainability through hands-on creation. I explored how we learn, what we can create, and what it means to lead—by reflecting on my story and using it to design a solution for others.

EcoSTEM brings together art, science, sustainability, and equity to spark long-term environmental and personal change. It is more than a project—it is a mission to empower the next generation of creators, thinkers, and leaders.

My Capstone was based around creating two books, a poetry book and a fantasy novel. Using Krita and KDP, I successfully uploaded the artwork for both books, the PDF forms of the scripting for each book, and so on. Creating this was hard because with school, work, and many other things I was worried that my project wouldn’t have turned out great but it instead became something I couldn’t have imagined. I learned how to properly publish books, how to do art in a way that’s more easier for me, and how to motivate myself when I’m feeling down for future projects. My motivation for these books is to inspire the Youth in my neighborhood. reminding them that being an artist and an author isn’t hard and that they can become someone in life as long as they follow their passions.