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Each day, passersby halt with infatuation upon entering the doors of the Prudential Center as vivid, decked-out floral mannequins meet the eye. 

The latest Fleurs de Villes “VOYAGE” art exhibition anchored its place at the Prudential Center on Nov. 2, 2023. The exhibition has contributions from 17 Boston-based florists and will reside at the Center for five days, departing on Nov. 6. Each of the 18 fresh floral displays scattered throughout the mall represents a different country, paying homage to their most famous customs and traditions. 

The world-renowned Fleurs de Villes, which translates to “flowers of cities,” has brought extravagant art exhibitions to over 20 cities throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, England and Scotland.

Fleurs de Villes contacted each of the artists and, upon submitting an application, providing them with their assigned country to design around. Of the floral designers reached, about two to four full days were spent creating their set pieces. 

Christy King, a co-owner of King Farm Inc. and an accredited member of the American Institute of Floral Designers, said, “The timeline was a little bit of a challenge because it’s all perishable material. So, it needs to be done within a certain amount of time to keep the integrity of the flowers; you sort of have to hurry up and wait. There are a few things we did: using 50% dried material and 50% fresh so the dry material can be done in the week prior. When I got there, I installed all the fresh.”

King created the mannequin representing Ireland, specifically depicting a stepdancer. Using lilys and copious green leaves, she mimicked the rich tapestry of Irish heritage. 

The goal of each “VOYAGE” installation is to bring big-picture cultural storytelling to the masses, but behind each piece, the creators and audience members bring their own stories to the table.

Shaona Das, a 16-year-old passing by the exhibit, felt the deep heritage spoken to her through the flowers. “Seeing these displays, especially the India one, made me feel connected to my culture. And it really inspired me because, in popular media and popular art, my culture often gets overlooked so the fact that I could see this vibrant color accurately displaying my culture made me feel valued.”

Experiences like Das’ have not gone unnoticed by the creators of the mannequins.

“All the people coming by and watching; there were so many people who said that it was just filling them with joy and hope, and with everything that’s going on in the world, it was what they needed to see; that part that was very humbling and fulfilling for me. I mean, it’s nice to play with flowers, of course, but I think the impact and what was being brought to all the public that they enjoyed that,” King said.

Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s Defensive Player of The Year, Angela Keomahavong, announced her verbal commitment to Wilson College Field Hockey on Sept. 28, 2022. 

Over four years in the making, Keomahavong has dedicated an immense amount of time and money to field hockey. In the fall, she practiced with the CHS team for an hour and a half daily. She also played for her club team, Lightning Field Hockey, in the off-season, making the senior an asset to Cupertino High School’s defense, leading them through the 2023 season.

“I started playing field hockey when I was in eighth grade, and I fell out of it because I didn’t know anyone in the club I was playing with,” Keomahavong said. “I started playing again my freshman year at Tino and also back in club. It just made me fall back in love with the sport.”

Keomahavong understood her potential to become a college athlete after years of training with CHS in the fall, and her club team, Lightning Field Hockey, in the spring. 

In her junior and senior years, Keomahavong received 12 offers to play collegiate field hockey, four from Division I schools. Ultimately, she selected Wilson College for its location and long-term financial benefits, given that it provides 98 percent of students with financial aid. The field hockey team also had successful tournaments and conference games. Said Keomahavong, “I had to pick wisely to make sure that [Wilson] was the right choice for me.” 

Keomahavong works as a boba barista to support her field hockey career — balancing schoolwork, athletics and her job. 

Juggling her priorities became increasingly challenging when college coaches began reaching out. 

“The most difficult [period] was probably going around and flying out to the campuses to do campus tours and playing with the team to see if I get along with [them],” Keomahavong said. “I did feel a lot of stress because I would be missing out on a lot of school. I had to make up a lot so I took it during tutorial to do it. It also got me off task during practices.” 

“My biggest supporters were teammates, coaches and family members,” said Keomahavong while reflecting on the path to commitment. “I wouldn’t know where I would be at this point without their encouragement.”

She shared that her immigrant family initially did not understand her passion for the sport. 

“Since they never grew up knowing the sport nor [understanding] the playing rules because they assumed it was like soccer. I then explained to them about my games. My parents realized I started to love field hockey even more when playing and at practices when they watched [me] play,” Keomahavong said in her NCSA College Recruiting website statement.

She intends to study journalism and business after graduating from CHS and moving to Pennsylvania. Said Keomahavong, “I was shy to come out that I did commit, and I didn’t want to brag, but I was also proud of myself that I made a big jump into the future.”