Google Honors 10-Year-Old Uvalde Shooting Victim’s Doodle Artwork

At the young age of 10, Alithia Haven Ramirez already knew what she wanted to be when she grew up.

Ramirez aspired to be an artist, and she had set her sights on attending art school in Paris years down the road to hone her career.

Then tragedy struck, prematurely ending the lives of Ramirez and her friends. On May 24, 2022, a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The 10-year-old had entered a drawing for the Doodle for Google contest for students in grades K through 12 earlier this year. Although Google hasn’t announced a winner, the company has displayed Ramirez’s artwork on the contest’s website in memory of the 21 Uvalde victims.

“I want the world to see my art and show the world what I can do,” Ramirez penned in her writeup for her Doodle. “I want people to be happy when they see my passion in art.”

Her illustration envisions a girl happily working through yarn, with her dog on the other seat of the sofa. Artwork is hung on the wall behind her, with a window and the sun in the center, spelling out “Google.” Ramirez signed her initials “AR” on her picture.

The girl’s love of art was recently brought to the attention of President Joe Biden, who had requested to have one of her drawings displayed at the White House.

Once Google has chosen its winning Doodle from the contest, the design will appear on its homepage for a day.

The company says it wanted to fulfill Ramirez’s dream of inviting the world to experience her passion in art by bringing the Doodle to light.

[via Hyperallergic and TODAY, cover image via Google]