Final Unsung Hero Painting "Emma Darling Cushman"

Purpose:

To promote positive role models in the lives of students

To empower students to stand up for what they believe is right

To create a personal work of art based on students' interpretation of an Unsung Heros' character and actions;

To reflect on your experiences by writing an impact paper that articulates your personal journey and interprets their work for the viewer. 

Emma Darling Cushman, ‘A Light In The Darkness’ 

Hadley Lawrence 

15 years old, 9th grade

The Armenian Genocide occurred during World War One, so it was, and still is, overshadowed by the more well-known world event. This in turn made everyone who had heroic actions during the Armenian Genocide get scarcely celebrated. That was the main reason I was first hooked by Emma Darling Cushman. Another reason I selected Emma was because, well, she was a woman. To be a woman in the early 1900s as educated as she was, and to make as much of an impact as she did, is astounding. 

Throughout the whole of the Unsung Hero project, when we were researching, learning about others’ heroes, and making a plan for our paintings, the idea of how UNSUNG, or unrecognized these people were, and the intense lives they lived while not having any recognition became more and more preposterous to me. They risked their lives repeatedly, receiving barely a ‘thank you’ in return?? I came to see that each of these heroes had a strong sense of integrity, and a love for helping others. When the heroes were committing these acts, they weren’t thinking about the Nobel Peace Prize they could win, they went through so much fear and risk for the good of others. My full realization of this has made me think more about goals in life, and what type of goals I want to achieve. Before this project, when I thought of a lifelong goal I thought about ‘success’ and making money, and milestones normalized by society, versus now, I realize helping others is an essential part of a successful life.