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La Trafica

Justin S. Lopez-Guzman

Refran: "Every day of the week, while the parents seek, children weep, and at the peak, the hunter reaps the reward that isn't cheap."


Card Description: none


Student Biography: My full name is Justin Sergio Lopez-Guzman. I was born in California in 2006. I come from a  traditional Mexican background which consists of me, my two brothers, and my parents. I have two  brothers named Matthew and Sammuel, one is in high school, and the other is in elementary. I tend to  cook or practice martial arts in my free time. I like to do this because it not only makes me happy, but it  also makes my family happy when I cook and my brothers happy when I practice with them. After high  school, I plan to attend a university, preferably Cal Poly or UCSB. I plan to major in either economics,  math, or English. I chose math or English because one of the careers I'm thinking of doing is teaching as a  high school teacher. The other major Economics is also something I'm thinking of majoring in because it's  a career path that fascinates me.  The message that I'm trying to convey is that every day children are taken away from their  homes, kept in cages, and sold off or forced to work. Human trafficking not only takes away a child's  basic right to be free but it also allows them to be treated as if they were a possession. With my painting  being located in a cell, I wanted to show the audience what it feels like to be in an environment you're  forced into. It's not happy, it's not funny nor is it right its the exact opposite. Children are the future and  they shouldn't have to worry about people taking them from their homes to be used. It is horrendous to  think that in modern times children are still being trafficked. With the vast improvements we have made  throughout the years child trafficking should be a thing of the past and not the present nor future. I painted  this painting to show everyone the horrors of being trafficked and how it is a dark thing in this world. But  within my painting also lies hope, I purposely drew a lighter tone of black around the two children to  symbolize hope. Although this crime is horrendous hope can still lie within. So although my painting  symbolizes the terror of human trafficking, it also symbolizes hope within a child.

Grade: 12

Card Number: 26

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