Memory project inspires global friendships for Giselle Rivas

Giselle Rivas is a great example of "bloom where you're planted."

Rivas, 18, discovered art in 10th grade, after moving to Amityville from Hempstead two years earlier. She hasn't looked back.

The Amityville Memorial High School senior has used her artistic skills to make banners and other materials for youth programs at her church in Jamaica, and has been involved with the Memory Project through the National Art Honor Society.

Society members get a photo of students from a particular country who are orphans and in difficult situations, and the students then do portraits of the child. The Memory Project aims to inspire caring, global friendship and a positive sense of self. Rivas has painted portraits for girls in Peru and Mexico. She agreed to do a portrait of a boy in Mexico when a fellow student couldn't do it. She incorporated a Mexican background in those two portraits to help create a connection with the children.

Rivas worked on the portraits in school during class, generally taking several weeks to complete them. When the portraits are delivered, the school gets a photo of the child with the portrait.

Rivas also submits works of art to the school's Literary Expression magazine, had a piece included in the 2010 Long Island's Best student artist show at the Heckscher Museum, and contributed to the 2011 Senior Mural annual project that promotes school pride. She belongs to the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society, and was selected to attend Adelphi University's Art Foundations Program last year and again this year. She plans to major in studio art and art education at Adelphi in the fall.

She began participating in sports after arriving in Amityville, something she hadn't previously pursued. "I thought it was a way to get to know people," she said. She played doubles tennis her sophomore year and first singles tennis her junior and senior years, and was captain both years. She also played softball, first in rightfield and then centerfield, and served as captain her junior and senior years.

Amityville's art program has helped her tremendously, Rivas said. In studio art, she took painting, using acrylics. "I hated painting," she said, afraid she couldn't mix the colors correctly since previously she had only done pastels. "But then I started experimenting with my fingers and I started to like it."

She is grateful to have found her passion in art. "I'm in touch with my faith," Rivas said, "and I believe that everyone receives a blessing." Rivas has used her art talents to communicate her struggles and express how she seeks to overcome them, said her guidance counselor, Andrew Akapnitis. "Art is a great outlet for her. She uses it to touch people's lives."