Jessica Merino has divided her time over the last several years between Community Studies at UC Santa Cruz and exploring and reporting on women’s issues across cultures. She has interned with the White House-recognized writing and mentorship organization Girls Write Now, with the globally acclaimed social art newspaper Creative Time Reports, and with the social business startup Trade Monkey, where she helped share the stories of South East Asian women artisans with the international community.
Waves of energy keep the universe in constant flux. It’s a still morning and the wind is weak. Floating on fiberglass, I connect with the curves of the sea. I ride the silky contours of her currents, coloring my way towards shore. The water shines like crystal. It is summer time.
The tides change and new weather patterns catch my attention. Clouds are now commendable. Storms, quintessential. Jagged peaks piled two miles high, silhouetted by sugary snow, pierce the thin mountain air. My feet strapped in, my body becomes a brush. I descend, painting the mountain with every turn.
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In my life, A did not lead to B, nor did C to D. I crave the rush. I thirst for adrenaline. Passion is the motor of my art. To feel the earth roaring beneath me. To see the elements cut vivaciously through the air as I ride. Yet somehow I am still, immovable, untouchable, floating in time.
I’ve always felt that the beauty of being surrounded by chaos is that it slaps me awake. Every sense is aroused, attuned. I’m aware of the patterns around me, the way things writhe and connect. I remember that this world is made up of connections; it is my purpose to find them. I am here only to discover what I believe in the course of letting it all unravel, to improvise, to welcome the unknown. When I welcome the unknown, I am free.
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I enjoy putting word and form to the unarticulated yet visceral feelings and emotions that unite us all as humans. Furthermore, my love for trees, hiking, travel and music all act in concert with my professional goals to make me a critically conscious and socially engaged person who believes in the potential of oneness, harmony and balance.
Jessica Merino 