This essay is from our intern, Mint Cheewachatchawarn. These are her independent opinions and thoughts.

Hello! I am an illustrator and a visual storyteller from Thailand, currently studying at SCAD — The Savannah College of Art and Design.

I use visuals to communicate because I believe visual communication can transcend social and cultural boundaries like languages, beliefs, ethnicity. I have always been able to learn better with the help of visuals as a learning aid. I found visuals to be more relatable than a block of text, and I found that people can be more open to visuals than words. Words often come with connotations, and, with a wrong word choice, words can immediately send people into defensive mode, which in turn make people less open and less inclined to listen to anything others have to say.

I am a firm believer that visual communication is one of the best tools to communicate and foster a better understanding of whichever subject it is applied to.

Coming from a different country and cultural background, I found the concept of diversity and inclusivity foreign at first. As in my country, I was part of the majority, and those concepts never entered the wider discussion or were taught in school. I was ignorant of the effect of racism and prejudice that stem from the difference in people’s identities.

Since the beginning of last year with the pandemic and the rise of hate crimes against Asians, I have thought a lot on this topic.

I am not a direct victim of violence from prejudice, but it has affected me mentally.

It also made me think about people whose situations are worse than me. I wouldn’t have thought about these topics if I had stayed in my home country — making me realize the importance of seeing world, living in different countries, meeting people different than me. These experiences lead me to becoming a more active supporter of diversity and inclusivity.

Going forward I want to bridge the gap between people and make their everyday life more worry-free with fewer occurrences caused by prejudice. With my skills, I want to help create a world where everyone is understanding and respectful of each other’s differences, and no one feels left out.