Hi everyone!
My name is Maritza. I am a sophomore at Drexel University majoring in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations and minoring in Education and Psychology.
I grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey and I love writing, kids, teaching, traveling, human rights, and art. Since I was a kid, I have always been passionate about art. I took countless art classes and art history courses. For the past 18 years I have tried all kinds of mediums, and realized my strong suit is sketching, I want to get better at collaging and I absolutely despise working with clay.
Coming to Drexel, I was torn between picking which of my interests to pursue: the arts or humanities. I picked humanities, which was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but it has taught me more about the importance of art in the development of children than I ever thought it would. It has taught me about the psychological and therapeutic benefits of art, how important it is as a form of communication, and how vital self expression is for elementary school age students.
Since my start at Drexel, I have worked in a lot of public schools that don’t provide art classes because of funding, and I have seen the huge toll that takes on student’s development, self expression and attention. Art has been proven to be an incredibly important outlet for young children, especially children living in low income areas.
I am so excited to work with Art Sphere because it prioritizes the importance of art when it is so often overlooked. It is the perfect combination of my passions: I get to make art, teach kids and make art more accessible to everyone!