Vanessa Espinoza "Agana"

Street Name: Agana

Age: 31

Hometown:  Oakland, CA

Vanessa, 31, also known as Agana, began graffiti work at 11-years-old and joined the urban arts organization, "Visual Element” at East Side Art Alliance, a restorative justice program serving youth in East Oakland. Here, Agana deterred from doing art illegally, but instead was educated on how to contribute positive change to her neighborhoods and use her skills in art-related careers. Influenced greatly by the program, she is now a teaching artist for talented emerging youth who uses art as a way of telling stories from a female perspective to raise awareness and inspire action towards community issues. Her paintings include symbols and depict themes across the Latina diaspora. Agana is striving to win this competition so she can reinvest back into supportive workshops for young artists, similar to those that she grew up in.