Connecticut Students Use Their Creativity to Honor True Parents

Young people in Connecticut used original artwork, speeches, songs and videos to commemorate True Parents’ Birthday in a competition called “The Gathering of Art and Mind.”

The competition, which the Family Church of Connecticut held on the evening of February 22, 2016, in the University of Bridgeport Student Center, showcased the creative efforts of students from Bridgeport Hope School, Bridgeport International Academy and the University of Bridgeport.

Each entry addressed one of these topics: “Living for the Sake of Others,” “What It Means to Be a True Citizen of the World,” “Why I Love God,” “Why I Love True Parents” and “What God’s Dream Means to Me.”

Ten artworks were on display throughout the evening, and there were two poetry readings, two song performances, and one video presentation. There were two categories for the contest, song/speech and artwork; those who won first and second place were awarded a cash prize.

The first place winner for the art category was Bonne-Elise Deshotel, a young Unificationist who received the Marriage Blessing in Korea this past weekend.

Kevin Salmon, a junior at the University of Bridgeport, took second place in the artwork category with his drawing “A Heart for Others.” Kevin explained his artwork by saying, “When you live for the sake of others, it is something that comes from your heart.”

Yuji Torikai, a senior at Bridgeport International Academy, and Nikolai Corley, a sophomore at the University of Bridgeport on drums, took first place in the song and speech category with their rap song “Thanks, True Father,” which Yuji created with his friends Daniel DaSilva, Edward Han and Joshua McBride.

Yuji explained what the song means to him personally. “It’s a special song. … There are a lot of inside jokes about what it’s like growing up in the [movement], but to me, it’s very sincere. I feel very grateful to True Parents, because without them I wouldn’t be here. … I wanted to express my gratitude through rapping, a passion of mine. While some view rap music as not appropriate for a church environment, I wanted to change that attitude toward rap by putting a positive spin on it.”

The second place winner for the speech/song category went to a high school student from Bridgeport International Academy, Deja-Lee Tam, who sang an original piece entitled, “The One.”  

This successful event came to a close with all the participants hoping it would become an annual tradition with even more performances and artwork to come.