Artists
Joe Kapend
Our first artist for Rise Above is Inner Light co-founder, Joe Kapend. Amid recent world events, Joe says, "...this is just my little attempt to highlight the pain and anger being felt by many in the black community today; it’s an attempt to highlight how many black people, along with other people of color, are forced by the system to become mere caged birds- birds who wish that maybe one day, their colored feathers will also receive freedom. I hope that this message really makes people think twice about their actions and know the effects it has on everyone else."
Ivran Rai
Ivran is our featured artist for Rise Above this time! She states, "I am a second-year kinesiology student at UBC. Along with studying, reading, staying active and volunteering within the community, I love spending my time working on dance and choreography. I used to get intimidated by others quite frequently, but dance has granted me the courage to express myself without the fear of being judged. It’s where I showcase my strengths and flaunt my flaws, where I am allowed to be 100% myself, and that is why being called a dancer means everything to me."
Nishant Amatya
This week, Rise Above features Nishant Amatya. Nishant is currently studying music at the University of Victoria, and hopes to become a music teacher. He says, "I grew up with a love of both music and Mario games, and I've really been into arranging recently, so this was pretty much a no-brainer. Doing stuff like this has really helped with just getting through quarantine, since it feels both fun and productive for me."
Qudsia Amarkhill
This week, Rise Above features Qudsia Amarkhill: "I painted this piece of art specifically for Rise Above, to portray that people- in this case, youth-have a lot to go through in life- challenges, struggles and adversities. However, one thing that can surely keep you going is you; yourself and the little out-of-stress and free-of-worry world that you create to remain optimistic."
Bella Gonzalez
Rise Above features Bella Gonzalez this week, who says, "I’m currently still in high school and I find music as a way to like de-stress! I play ukulele and piano and I recently started the guitar! I had always wanted to start a YouTube channel just for fun but never did until last year because I felt nervous to show my voice to people I didn’t know! After posting a couple videos, I noticed how much positivity I was getting and it really boosted my confidence and my love for learning music! I think something that everyone should know is that not everyone will like what you do but if you have enough passion, that’s all you need! it doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad at something. what matters is that it makes you happy!!"
🎵🎵🎶 Go check out Bella's YouTube Account! (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9wynwVD9l3UiOgIJDfnu_Q)