MARYLAND ( DC News Now ) – A Maryland man is continuing to make a difference in his community after making history as the first Latino to represent the U.S. as an Olympic artist in 2006.
“Representation is very important. I always tell people that my being an artist is my gift to the world. Being Latino is my representation of the world,” said Jesse Raudales.
Raudales recognized he had a gift when he was 4 years old, but had no idea how his talent would take him.
When he was 19, he moved from North Carolina to Los Angeles to attend art school. Although a year later Raudales lost his art scholarship due to budget cuts, that did not stop him from pursuing his dreams.
“I’ve always had a lot of confidence in my art. Earlier you asked what was my nickname? It’s pride, because in art school I would always stand up and talk about my art whereas the other artists, the students, didn’t want to stand up, they were scared or they want to talk about their art,” said Raudales.
His confidence got him opportunities he never imagined. Through word of mouth, someone on the U.S. Olympic Committee learned about his work.