My name is Anna Cherepowich and I am a 17-year old high school student from Massachusetts. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the blue on on our planet, naming off fish and coral species, and learning the workings of the oceans. Art has been another passion of mine just as long as learning about the oceans has. I love combining my love for marine life and the environment with my love for art, so most of my artwork features nature. My most-used mediums include Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils and graphite pencil. I have discovered that each piece is a learning experience and hope that I can inspire others too. We know more about the moon than our oceans. I want to use my art to raise awareness of the 71% of the surface of our earth that is the ocean and the problems it faces in our rapidly changing climate.

I am currently offline, spending this fall semester of my junior year at The Island School on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The mission of The Island School is to teach students how to live better in a place. Students learn about sustainability by researching it, working it and living it. Aside from getting my open water SCUBA certification to extend my classroom beneath the surface of the ocean, I will be studying marine biology, ecology, environmental art and doing a semester-long research project on oceanography, specifically pertaining to salt levels in the Exuma Sound. I have been using the proceeds of my art sales to help fund this amazing experience.