A shell, in Art History, is a symbol of pilgrimage or a journey, directly linked to Santiago de Compostela in southern Spain. On the side façade of the Church is a statue of St. James the Pilgrim holding a shell, calling pilgrims to be more saint-like. A pearl is one of few gemstones originating from a living organism. It represents the beauty of life; how a person grows into their own.

Pilgrimage is a word that encapsulated my study abroad experience in Rome, Italy from my travels to my renewed spirituality. The shell is also reminiscent of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.

This is your time. Show the world you have “emerged.”