It felt like something was missing. After maturing, seeing life and experiencing the death of people close to me, it kind of felt like life really is… - Dawn Okoro

I want people to walk into the exhibition and feel like they belong. I hope they can feel the sense of movement and see themselves reflected in the pieces.

When I watched the episode where Jennifer Beals said my name and showed my painting, I squealed a little. I’m happy to see some of my goals begin to come to fruition. There is so much more that I can do with art. I’m just getting started.

It's taken me years to come to that conclusion, and there are still some times as an adult when those feelings creep in again. But I think just doing my art has helped me a lot, and getting my art out there lets me know it's OK just to be who I am.