In this piece, I represent Winged Victory of Samothrace, a statue of the Geek Goddess Nika. In Russian, Nika is a nickname for Nicole, and this sculpture inspired my parents to name me as such. I’ve drawn four hands that form the stature, each one depicting a letter in sign language that reads ”Nika.” 

Surrounding me are Sequoia sprigs for my friend Sequoia, a Dahlia flower for my friend Dahlia, lilies for my mother Lily, and even kiwi leaves for an old nickname of mine. My friend Afra’s name means “white flower,” and in her home country of Bangladesh, the lotus is the national flower, so the white lotus on the right is an homage to her. I’ve also included laurel leaves, the symbol of Nika. Nika is the goddess of victory. To me, victory is getting through hardship and emerging on the other side. I’ve represented this with darkness in the back, and brighter skies ahead.