The Power of the Arts

by Jeannine Gage

Two Seminole High School students are utilizing the arts to heal and connect people throughout Central Florida. Sasha Cherukuri and Nainika Teegavarapu have each created a youth-led, charitable organization designed to bring the creative arts to more people, especially those who may not have abundant access to those experiences.

Studies have long shown that creating and being exposed to art and music have therapeutic value. The arts can help ease anxiety, evoke happy memories, and foster a sense of connection. Sasha’s organization focuses on the benefits of painting, while Nainika’s nonprofit touts the importance of music. 

Getting Artsy With Painting Smiles

A rising senior, Sasha Cherukuri is making a meaningful impact on local children, teens, and older adults through visual art. As the founder of Painting Smiles, she is proving that art activities can produce much more than beautiful artwork – they can also heal, connect, and inspire.

Sasha started Painting Smiles at the end of 2024, after completing an internship with the Florida Department of Health. As an intern, she visited community health facilities and organizations serving low-income and homeless populations. During those visits, she noticed that something was missing.

“A lot of people in underserved communities lacked access to creative outlets and mental health initiatives,” says Sasha. “I saw that gap and wanted to do something about it. Art has the power to bring comfort and joy, and everyone deserves access to that.”

Sasha has loved to paint, draw, and sketch since she was six years old. Now, making art helps calm the stress and anxiety she feels due to the pressures of high school.

“When I draw, it puts my mind at ease,” says Sasha, an International Baccalaureate (IB) student who plans to pursue a career in medicine. “There are studies showing art can help with depression and anxiety, and I’ve experienced that personally.”

With Painting Smiles, what began as a solo passion project quickly expanded. By early 2025, Sasha had assembled a team of fellow students to help her organize and run events throughout Central Florida. To date, they have served an estimated 3,000 people with more than 150 free, in-person art programs. 

The organization’s three main initiatives are: Paint Your World, offering art courses for low-income teens at local libraries; Sharpen Your Mind, bringing art activities to senior living communities to support memory and cognitive wellness; and Colors Bring Joy, providing creative experiences for children in schools and hospital settings.

At each event, volunteers set up stations with activities such as watercolor painting, origami, rock painting, and guided art lessons.

“Once they start creating, they start talking with each other and really engage,” says Sasha. “Then they make amazing artwork.

Painting Smiles is funded through grants and donations, including a recent $500 grant from Hershey’s The Heartwarming Project, which helped purchase several months’ worth of art supplies. 

Sasha is applying for 501(c)(3) status for Painting Smiles this summer and hopes to eventually expand the organization nationally and internationally. Alexandra Othon, a social studies teacher at Seminole High School, is one of the charity’s supporters.

“I was inspired by the mission of the Painting Smiles project, as I know the positive impact that art can have on mental health – not only for the artists but also those receiving the art,” says Alexandra. “Sasha has consistently demonstrated herself to be a hardworking, compassionate, and deeply committed individual who is focused on making a difference through her events and community initiatives.”

Making Music With Med.olies

Nainika Teegavarapu has always loved music and believed in its therapeutic powers. So, she found a way to make it a tool for healing, connection, and community impact.

The rising senior founded Med.olies, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to sharing the benefits of music. Since launching in June of 2024, the organization has grown into a movement reaching thousands of people in the United States and India.

Nainika’s passion for music began early. She started singing lessons at the age of six and participated in All-County and All-State chorus programs during middle school. But one experience transformed the way she viewed music’s role in people’s lives: performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City two years ago.

Surrounded by hundreds of talented young singers from around the world, Nainika realized music had a universal reach unlike anything else.

“Almost everyone listens to some form of music,” she says. “That inspired me because it showed me how deeply music connects people.”

Nainika’s epiphany led her to explore the science behind music and its effects on the brain. Soon after, during a summer trip to India, she volunteered alongside her friend Varnika Pavirala at a school for children with autism. The pair performed songs in Hindi and English and watched as children who typically struggled to communicate began smiling, singing, and dancing.

“It was amazing to see how music brought them alive,” says Nainika. “That moment stayed with me.”

When Nainika returned to Florida, she and Varnika launched Med.olies (a play on the words melodies and medicine) and began recruiting other student musicians and vocalists to help. The organization now hosts regular performances at preschools and assisted living and memory care facilities throughout Sanford and Lake Mary.

To date, Med.olies has hosted nearly a dozen mission-driven events and reached nearly 50,000 people through social media and in-person programs in the United States and India.

Helena Rodrigues, engagement director for a senior living community in Sanford, says the residents love it when Nainika and her friends visit.

“They just brighten everyone’s day,” says Helena. “They are inspiring young adults.”

Helena agrees that music is therapeutic, noting the differences in the residents’ demeanors when music is playing.

“You can see the change,” she says. “Even if they can’t speak, you can see it in their eyes. Or if they’re in a wheelchair, their toes will start tapping. It’s wonderful.”

Nainika, an IB student, is considering a career in medicine, where she can further explore the science behind music and healing. Looking ahead, she hopes to expand the work of Med.olies to hospitals, autism centers, and schools for visually impaired children. 

“Sometimes healing doesn’t come from medicine alone,” she says. “Sometimes it comes from a song that reminds someone they’re not alone.”