Emilio
Portrait with Mel Russell
Description: A young man walks through the woods. He wears hiking gear and a backpack. The sun shines brightly through the green trees and he confidently walks forward.
Portrait with Nick Collura
“My portrait is inspired by my time at camp. When I was younger, I went to camp every summer. It was the best experience. It was actually life changing for me. This portrait shows others how connected I am to that experience and what a big part of me it still is. I was always so quiet and camp made me open up more and develop new friends.
I'm kind of a big person. Because of my size, some people see me as someone that they don't want to mess around with. I want others to see me as an outgoing and intelligent person. My friends and family would describe me as kind. They call me a teddy bear sometimes.
I am Hispanic. There's a lot of bad stuff that people say about us. It's not always true, because there's always people that are working hard. I think a bad picture of us would change if people knew what was happening. They would understand that people are trying to come to the U.S. because they are in danger. I don't think people understand that. I want to impact others as an example that not every Hispanic is bad, and that I am not bad either.
I look up to my grandparents. They did the most for us to get to where we are today. My grandma loves and cares for our family and my grandpa works hard. He just keeps on working.
If I could change one thing about the world right now, it would have to do with racism. What has been happening this year is something really big. I think a solution could be coming together. I just want people together, no matter their race.”
Milwaukee, 2020