For this mural at Vassar Elementary, I chose the Swainson’s Hawk—a prairie raptor commonly seen along Colorado’s Front Range and known for its extraordinary migration to Argentina, one of the longest of any American hawk. Its collective journey with thousands of other birds became a metaphor for the school’s diverse student body, symbolizing resilience, community, and shared forward movement. I paired the hawk with wildflowers to represent the variety of student backgrounds and included a rainbow as a universal symbol of hope, diversity, and connection.