Stephanie Infantino

This photo was taken at a conference in Los Angeles. It was a long, hot day, and by the time I stepped in front of the lens, I was completely exhausted. My makeup had worn off, leaving smudges under my eyes, and I felt self-conscious to be photographed in that state. My unpolished appearance mirrored exactly how I felt on the inside. When I was asked to write something meaningful, I thought it would be hard to choose a phrase, but "HOPE 2020" instantly surfaced. For years, the relentless political turmoil in our country had been wearing heavily on many of us, and I desperately wanted a shift. The word Hope resonated with me, recalling the optimism of the Obama era. Writing "HOPE 2020" across my palms was a prayer for a change in leadership and a return to decency. After the conference, I tucked the photo away, too self-conscious to share it, having no idea how prophetic it would become. When 2020 arrived, the pandemic unfolded, the world turned upside down, and like everyone else, I was just trying to navigate the isolation and loss of our former way of life. By the end of that year, the political shift I had prayed for came to pass, but it arrived alongside a world irrevocably altered. Looking at this photo today brings a wave of intense emotion right back to the surface. It feels like looking into a time capsule, and it reminds me just how much I cared, how much I endured, and how much of my heart was poured into that simple wish.