The piece above captures feelings that I feel when and after attending the GSA meetings.

I made this during a GSA meeting in order to be able to fully capture my feelings and the headspace which I was in at the time. Each component and image is representative of an experience or a feeling shared or felt through the meeting.

The reason behind/meaning of the title is up for interpretation, though I intended to add a fun element with the fortune cookie and the message it displays. It also speaks on my journey and how I stumbled upon the GSA (our giant VSS/TDSB-wide GSA).

The in-depth explanation of the piece and the experiences which it holds and carries:

Starting from the bottom left corner, the birthday cake is representative of our celebration. Through each and every meeting, we celebrate! We celebrate our overcome challenges, our journeys, identities, our successes and our accomplishments. A win for one member is a win for us all! No accomplishment or win is too small to celebrate. The image on the right side of the cake is a Pride flag. It symbolizes everyone's validity and pride. We enable each other to take pride in our identities and share our coolz (cool and amazing) Pride flags.

Next, the rubber duck; I have used these stickers to symbolize my friendship and love for certain people, places and things. It carries a very important message of love presented in the child-like, silly and fun manner of yellow rubber duckies! I feel accepted and feel comfortable to be me, the fully authentic Parmiss, who can be silly like the duck but can carry and share the love. The duck is my stamp of approval and my love for my newfound community. Going off of the element of fun, the fortune cookie is representative of the unexpected experience of the GSA meetings. The fortune cookie is colourful, and its message has been truthful so far! Who knew fortune cookies could be so wise!?

The model represents the elements of expression and confidence. From head-to-toe, the model carries the energy of confidence in one's self and expression. The look is unique with lots of colours, yet each element comes together to complete the look. Like the model, we are each so very different but all connected and that allows us to form a community and give each other the room to grow and find the true and authentic version of ourselves. The model's confidence in their identity is what the GSA advisor teachers and members provide for each other, and of course, let's not brush over the fact that the model is Asian and wearing a piece designed by a Japanese fashion designer, Kansai Yamamoto. Our GSA is quite diverse and a significant meeting was when we watched and talked about Queer-Desi folks. For similar reasons, I have included the cool colourful circle behind the model. It is actually an image of a plate in a magazine full of culture. It represents all of our mixed identities and ethnic backgrounds and how we all add to the table (table, plate, pun semi-intended).

Shifting our focus to the top half of the piece, the cool colourful, graphic design to the left of the model symbolizes our uniqueness and how we are part of the same puzzle. It also shows the modern aspects of the piece. The world and societal viewpoints are constantly changing and evolving. We (the GSA and all its members) have managed to build and maintain a space where we can have discussions where we can discuss societal issues, changes we can make and how our experiences add to our overall story. Not only do we advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but many other minorities/marginalized communities. This is something that has contributed to my love for our group; we not only fight for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights but for everyone's equality by demanding equity!

The flashes of light represent our bright minds, ideas and work while at the same time, shining light (the semi-intended puns keep coming) on the fact that we are all creative beings and in this created space, through the activities we do and the opportunities we are given, we can showcase our talents, passions and creativity and build on each other's ideas like a million shooting lights. Last but not least, in the top right corner, you can see that on top of the image it says GSA, which is self-explanatory. The lettering is to show that we can all come as we are and don't need to fit in a mold (specific font or size, or in our case, specific orientation, identity, age, or race and that we are welcome and promoted to be ourselves).The image itself shows an individual who is very expressive and through the image, you can see that they are filled with contentment and the joy of being themselves, which is how I feel after every meeting. I have become more confident in being me and not needing to label and explain every little thing I do, wear or create.

Last, the background image is of nature designs. To me, that image represents gentle care, love and support, and by its placement behind the image, it symbolizes someone always having your back and caring for you. Like mother nature, GSA and all of its members have shown me the beauty of life and living unapologetically. Just as mother nature, the GSA has cared for me, nourished me, watched me grow and has always been there with open arms to help me and stand me back up when faced with the challenges and the harsh world beyond. That concludes my explanation of my piece and a love letter to our GSA + statement of appreciation to everyone who has made it possible and to myself for taking the leap into the unknown and joining. I hope that with the help of our advisors and teachers, we can provide the same experience for other TDSB students.