My unsung hero is Betty Goudsmit-Oudkerk. I chose her because she was a wartime hero during the Holocaust, and I find those stories very interesting. I admire her courage to put children’s lives before her own. Her character traits are bravery and responsibility. Betty was brave because she risked her life to save children, and she was responsible because she kept the children safe. 

Betty Goudsmit-Oudkerk was only 17 years old when she snuck more than 600 Jewish children out of a nursery to safety during the Holocaust. She was a staff member at the nursery and knew the kids there would soon be taken and treated badly, so she and the rest of the staff participated in saving those children. She impacted a lot of children’s lives by rescuing them. Her story encourages people to realize that you can do anything, even if you’re young. 

When the time came to start working on the actual art, I wanted my artwork to show my interpretation of the story. I chose to make a diorama because I wanted my art to be a story inside a scene. The only objects inside the diorama are a crib and ABC blocks that spell out ESCAPE. Betty Goudsmit-Oudkerk’s success is the main point of my project. Because she got all of the children out of the nursery, there are no children in my project. My diorama is made of wood, which I painted black, the ABC blocks and crib are 3D printed, and I used acetate for the front piece of my diorama so that you can see through the photo and into the scene. The photo I chose was Betty with some of the nursery children. 

Betty Goudsmit-Oudkerk's actions have influenced me to believe that you can do anything no matter how old you are. I hope that my artwork helps Betty Goudsmit-Ouderk become more recognized and known.