My name is Nija Swanson and I am a 16 year old visual artist from Baltimore, MD. From the age of 6 to 8, I lived on a military base in Fort Stewart, Georgia with my sister-in-law, nephews and niece while my brother served in the military supplying me a great foundation of education. I’ve always had a strong passion for art and my middle school in Baltimore shed even more light on the art field. I was enrolled in Deer Park Middle Magnet School (DPMMS) in the Visual Arts Program for all 3 years while I took part in cheerleading and track. The art program at DPMMS helped prepare me for my attendance at Baltimore School For The Arts. I take visual arts there as well, it’s safe to say I’m an athletic and creative person but my high school doesn’t have any sports or clubs for me to participate in. Devoting my focus strictly to arts and academics isn't necessarily a bad thing, it helps me keep my GPA at at least a 3.5 average while I’m figuring myself out as an artist. Currently my favorite mediums to work with are ink and oil paint. With me being in my junior year of high school , I’m not 100% set in stone on what I want to do as a career because it’s so much out in the world to accomplish but I do take an interest in fashion design, motivational speaking, and entrepreneurship. Through this recent opportunity I have explored my compatibility with technology by connecting it to real life solutions. During a five week Youth Works program I learned some basics of software development such as writing test cases with the help of other youth workers and project coordinator. Working with the Fight Blight Bmore has expanded my knowledge and my ability to directly impact my community.