Hi!

I am a high school junior living in Colorado. I tackle my creative endeavors through writing, visual art, and, more recently, audio and video. My fascination with human stories and the narratives around soccer heavily influence the pieces I craft. When I am not writing fiction, I attempt to be as educated as possible on said topic, while creating fun and easy-to-understand material. My visual art aims to tell stories of complex emotions that the viewer can feel, not just see. I enjoy making art that is not confined to realism, experimenting with colorful abstract portraits that don’t show the human face, still lifes, and illustrations centering on the human experience. I tend to use lighting and perspective as tools to communicate what I want to say with my piece. I enjoy creating illustrations that highlight the emotions and stories hidden in a place. As I write or draw, I am always learning something new and meaningful about the world we all live in. I am an avid Liverpool FC, US Soccer, and Colorado Rapids supporter. I have a YouTube channel where I share my passion for soccer called AyahSoccer. I can be found curating my bookshelf, having fun with family and friends, or at @ayahalmart on Instagram. 

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Some of my accomplishments include: 

In the Scholastic Arts and Writing Contest, I have won two Gold Keys in painting, one Gold Key in digital art, one Gold Key in critical essays, one Silver Key in painting, one Silver Key in poetry, one Silver Key in personal essays, one Honorable Mention for illustration, and one Honorable Mention for multi-media. In 2021, I volunteered to create 20 handmade pieces of art to be sold for the charity called Project for Awesome. I have also won third place in the Teen Art contest twice and won in the Geek Out Contest twice by the Arapahoe Libraries. My art has been included in galleries for the 2023 CCD Student Art & Design Show, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Galleries in the Denver Art Museum and 40 West, and the Arapahoe Libraries for the Teen Art Show. My art won third place in the 2024 Congressional Art Competition and was displayed at The People’s Building and in Jason Crow's Congressional District office. I have illustrated many stories for Polyphony Lit. I attended NBCU's 2023 Girl's Experienceship and the Colorado Sun's 2024 Rise and Shine Journalism Workshop.  My podcast episode, “Soccer in the US: My Obsession with America’s New Favorite Pastime” was a 2023 NPR Student Podcast Challenge finalist with my original podcast episode featured on NPR and Men In Blazers. My short stories “Shopping List” and "Broken" were published in the 2023 and 2024 Girls Write Now anthology. My work has also appeared in the The Mantelpiece. Among other articles I have written for YR Media include a series of articles covering the 2023 Women’s World Cup for YR Media. I have published personal essays in the Youth Communication Magazine and Literary Purveyor.