Freshman wins Doodle for Google competition


Incoming freshman Arantza Peña Popo wanted to convey her appreciation for her mother through her doodle. (Photo courtesy of Arantza Peña Popo)

Despite winning the 2019 Doodle for Google competition, freshman Arantza Peña Popo doesn’t consider the world her oyster just yet. She’s ambitious, but her feet are firmly planted.  Peña is entering USC undeclared, unsure of what path to take but impatient to see what her years have in store for her. 

Born in Colombia, Arantza moved with her family to Costa Rica and then to the United States when she was 3 years old. That was right around the time she picked up “random Crayola pens” and began to draw.

“I’ve been drawing since I was 3 years old,” Arantza told the Daily Trojan. “On coffee paper, with random Crayola pens. I’ve been drawing most of my life.”

Fast forward to middle school, and Arantza is now more serious about art; she’s learning more about what it means to others and to herself. She has decided to at least pursue art on the side.

“When I was younger, I wanted to be a scientist, but that didn’t work out. But, I guess, in middle school, I learned a lot more about art,” Arantza said. “I [wanted] to do something, or at least do it on the side as a teacher.” 

Arantza did keep drawing on the side, and now, she is coming to USC fresh off one of her greatest accomplishments. But, as grand as it was to have her doodles dominate the most visited webpage in the world, it was achieved in true college student fashion — the day it was due. 

Yet, this last-minute doodle was victorious among more than 200,000 entries. 

“I did it last minute, so I was like, ‘I’m not gonna win this.’ And then I did. So that was really cool,” Arantza said. “Everyone around me was freaking out like, ‘Oh my gosh you won!’ … but I was like really chill.”

Maybe her casual reaction was grounded in the serious purpose behind her drawing — Arantza’s doodle interrupts the word “Google,” and inserts four women, where the second “O” should be. The women are standing behind each other, with the first two (a mother and her baby) framed as if they were in a portrait. The theme of this year’s competition was “When I grow up, I hope…” and, according to Popo, the first frame depicts her mother holding her as a baby. The second picture similarly features Popo and her mother, but with Popo holding her mother instead. 

Photo courtesy of Arantza Peña Popo

“When I grow up, I hope to care for my mom as much as she cared for me my entire life,” Popo said in an interview with The Champion. “In my doodle, there is a framed picture of my mother carrying me as a baby — a real picture in my house — and below the picture is me, caring for her when she’s older in the future.”

At the end of the day, thanking her mom is what matters most to Popo. 

“When we were younger, [my mom] worked really hard for us,” she said. “So I really wanted to thank her, and I think she’s proud! My mom isn’t really a vocal person, but I think she’s proud.”

Popo’s inspiration comes from other people’s stories — meeting people from all different backgrounds is what she’s most excited to experience during her time at USC.

“These past few days, I’ve met people from really different walks of life,” she said. “It’s really cool to just share different stories.”

Stories abound at USC and students from every corner of the globe walk this campus — now, there is an artist among them, ready to turn their tales into doodles.