IMPACT / ARIARI21
Building Community Through Art
A student-led nonprofit bringing together creativity, leadership, and community service.
Why I Started Ariari21
Art has always been an important part of my life, but I started wondering how I could use it to help other people. Community service can take many forms, from donating food to cleaning up public spaces. I wanted to create an organization that reflected my own interests while giving other students a chance to contribute their creativity.
That's how Ariari21 began. I wanted to show that art could be more than personal expression. A mural, for example, could change how a space looks and how people feel when they walk through it. Seeing what we could accomplish together made me realize that something I enjoyed personally could also have a meaningful impact on others.
My Role as Founder
As the founder and president of Ariari21, I help organize projects, lead meetings, coordinate student volunteers, and plan schedules and materials.
Mural projects, especially when many students are involved, require more organization than I initially expected. Before starting, we need to think about the space, the design, the materials, and how to divide the work. During each session, I help make sure everyone understands what needs to be done and that we stay on schedule.
One thing I've learned is that being a leader doesn't mean making every decision myself. I want other volunteers to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and contributing their own creativity. My responsibility is to keep everyone working toward the same goal while giving them room to express themselves.
Mural Projects
Community Murals
Public Spaces
Creative CollaborationWhat We Do
Art Education
Drawing
Painting
Youth EducationFeatured Community Projects
01. Bringing Art Indoors
Salvation Army Senior Apartments
Community Outreach
Food & Toy Drives
Rose Parade Floats
Volunteer Service
02. Transforming an Outdoor Space
Salvation Army Senior Apartments
03. Bell Shelter Mural Projects
Salvation Army Bell Shelter
04. Wilshire Adult Day Care Center
Indoor and Outdoor Mural Projects
Ariari21 at a Glance
5 Years
Active in Community Service
3 Locations
Community Project Sites
7 Murals
Completed Across Community Spaces
25–30 Volunteers
Active Student Volunteers on Average
What I Learned
Leading Ariari21 has changed the way I think about both leadership and creativity.
At first, I thought the most important part of a creative project was the idea itself. Over time, I realized that even a great idea can be difficult to carry out without a clear plan. When schedules are confusing, materials aren't ready, or communication breaks down, everyone has a harder time doing their best work.
I also learned that leadership isn't about controlling every part of a project. It's about understanding what needs to be done, organizing people and resources, and making sure everyone has an opportunity to contribute.
This connects to the way I approach other subjects I'm interested in, especially engineering and problem-solving. Even though painting a mural and solving an engineering problem are different activities, both require thinking through individual steps, understanding how different parts work together, and making adjustments when things don't go as expected.
Most importantly, Ariari21 has taught me that the things I enjoy doing can become more meaningful when I use them to help others. What started as my interest in art became an opportunity to bring students together and contribute to the community.