Junior Cristina Escardó won the 2024 Digital Poster Contest awarded by the Florida Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). Her poster titled “Creando puentes entre las personas” (“Creating Bridges Between People”), presents the special connection she has established through the Spanish language with two of her closest friends, Sarah Kanji and Kayra Dayi.
“My friends started studying Spanish and Latin culture to feel more connected to our community in Miami and to learn more about my Cuban culture,” Escardó said. “[Their story] symbolizes what can happen in real life when a person tries to connect more with another culture through language.”
Escardó created the poster by first editing a photo she had taken with Dayi to serve as a reference. Then, she redrew the reference image using the app Sketchbook and added several layers of appropriate graphics to go with her message. The poster took Escardó about five to six hours to make.
“Over the years, Spanish has been a vessel for me to share aspects of my culture and foster greater understanding between my friends and I,” she said. “Sharing my culture feels like showing a more personal side of me which can lead to many meaningful moments in friendship.”
Escardó chose her theme to be “Creating Bridges Between People,” to honor and represent her friendship. “I’m happy with how it turned out; looking back at it now, there are a few minor details I would tweak but that’s very typical of me and my artwork,” she said.
In the future, although unsure of which route to take, Escardó hopes to pursue art in some capacity. “As I’m interested in pursuing graphic design and advertising, designing this poster has been a very fun and interesting learning experience,” she said.
While designing the poster, Escardó chose a photo which reflects an intimate moment between her and her friend. She decorated the poster with elements from her Cuban culture. (Poster/Cristina Escardó)
