WEDDINGTON – Shruthika Kampati, a student from Marvin Ridge High School in Weddington, a suburb of Charlotte, is among the 54 regional winners of a nationwide competition organized by Google.  Now, Kampati advances to the next stage, competing to become a finalist.

The competition is the 14th annual Doodle for Google contest, and this year, Google sought submissions from K-12 students.

A blog post from Google that announced the contest in January noted that the theme for the 2022 contest was one of self-care.

“The past few years have been marked by uncertainty, and students in particular have been profoundly impacted in the way they learn, socialize and approach health,” the blog post reads.

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Answering through art

Kampati, and other students who chose to submit a drawing for the contest, answered a prompt through their art.

The prompt “I care for myself by…” led Kampati to doodle a bicycle ride.

The submission reads: “A Peaceful Bike Ride: My Google Doodle is of a girl riding her bike, and this is one of my favorite ways to take care of myself, because there’s no better feeling than a peaceful bike ride outside. The cool breeze, the birds chirping, little children laughing, it’s all so relaxing. It’s always an amazing way to take a break and clear my head whenever life gets overwhelming.”

The submission is the winner of the regional competition and Kampati will now compete against 53 other regional winners to become one of five finalists.

“We were amazed by the submissions we received. Across ages, students showcased how they cultivate self-care practices in thoughtful and intentional ways,” a Google spokesperson told WRAL TechWire.  “Young artists shared a range of helpful strategies including spending time in nature, being active, taking part in creative hobbies and spending time with loved ones.”

The spokesperson noted that students in particular have experienced challenges with and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Given the challenging nature of the past few years, we were really inspired to see the many ways students have been nurturing their spirits and building resilience,” the spokesperson said.

Google announced the winners of the regional and territorial contests this week, including Kampati, and is inviting all to vote on who will become the five finalists on this website.

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