JAIDYN PROBST

I am currently a freshman at Harvard University. I am studying Neuroscience with a secondary in Mind, Brain, and Behavior on the pre-medical track. I was actively involved in my community and high school back home and spent a lot of my free time creating art as a way to relieve stress. Art is a huge part of me and my culture. I enjoy anything from acrylic painting to beading, and everything in between.

My artwork is an abstract painting of a garden and blooming flowers. I created this in response to the prompt because to me, a sense of belonging is related to every Native youth blossoming into their true selves. Belonging and “counting” in this country means honoring our sacred roots, and being unapologetically ourselves. I portray this in my painting by illustrating textured, wild, and colorful bursts of petals that symbolize that life is vibrant and unpredictable. While life can be a mess, inside I hope every Native youth realizes that they belong and that they count in this crazy world.