As she prepares to begin her senior year at Pennsbury High School, Maisarah Aminah Dombrowski has already earned international recognition for combining art, science and environmental advocacy in ways that inspire others to think differently about some of the world's biggest challenges.
Whether creating an award-winning stop-motion film about energy poverty, designing intricate paper-quilled artwork highlighting endangered Pennsylvania birds or building a website dedicated to wildlife conservation, Dombrowski, a Fairless Hills resident, has found a way to merge her artistic talents with her passion for protecting the environment.
Her latest accomplishment came through the World of 8 Billion student video contest, an international competition that challenges students to examine issues connected to global population growth and propose innovative solutions. Dombrowski's one-minute stop-motion animation about energy poverty earned third place internationally among more than 5,000 entries.
"The World of 8 Billion video contest challenges students to explore a global issue connected to population growth and propose a solution," Dombrowski said. "I was inspired to enter this year because I've always been interested in how environmental challenges affect everyday people, and I had enjoyed participating in the contest two years ago."
This marked her second time participating in the competition. In 2024, she earned a state honor for her video, "Agriculture vs. Invasive Species: Who Wins?" Although pleased with that project, she viewed it as a learning experience.
"While the topics were different, I think the biggest difference was the amount of time I had," she said. "My first submission was well researched, but I didn't have enough time to create the visuals I envisioned. This year, I was able to thoroughly research microgrids, choose a visually engaging stop-motion style and spend more time editing the final video."
For this year's contest, Dombrowski selected energy poverty, a topic she admitted she knew little about before beginning her research.
"I was drawn to energy poverty because I didn't know much about it," she said. "I was already familiar with wetlands, so I wanted to challenge myself by researching something completely new."
What she discovered surprised her.
"I was shocked to find that nearly 1-in-3 American households reported energy insecurity," she said. "It was a higher number than I had anticipated."
As her research continued, she realized energy poverty affects communities much closer to home than many people realize.
"Modern life depends on reliable energy, from refrigerating vaccines to accessing the internet for school or work," Dombrowski said. "Energy poverty affects both environmental sustainability and public health, which is why I believe it deserves much more attention."
Her video highlights microgrids as a potential solution to improve access to reliable electricity while supporting environmental sustainability.
"When I was researching, I decided to focus on infrastructure because there are already many sustainable energy alternatives; the only barrier is making that energy accessible and affordable," she said. "I had read that squirrels are the third-leading cause of power outages in the U.S., which really highlighted how fragile our current electrical grid can be. That's what led me to learn about microgrids through a climate podcast."
She believes microgrids represent a practical step forward.
"I think they're so promising because of how resilient they are," Dombrowski said. "They can operate alongside or independently of the main grid. Looking toward the future, I believe they're a practical, sustainable solution needed to tackle the climate crisis and energy poverty."
Instead of using traditional video footage, Dombrowski illustrated every scene herself before transforming the artwork into a stop-motion animation using Procreate and iMovie.
"I chose stop-motion because I always thought stop-motion looked so cool and wanted to give it a try myself," she said. "Although it is time-consuming, I love how unique and whimsical stop-motion looks. I think the medium shows the little imperfections that make it feel more human."
The process required patience.
"It was definitely a tedious process of taking pictures for each frame," she said. "I would have to adjust the images the slightest bit, take a photo, then adjust again. It took a long time."
From research through editing, the project took about three weeks to complete.
Looking back, she considers the timing of the animation one of her greatest achievements.
"With stop-motion, I found it difficult to estimate how many photos I would need to match the duration of the audio while ensuring the animation remained somewhat fluid," she said. "I'm also incredibly proud of making a video that got third place in an international competition with over 5,000 entries. I never imagined my first stop-motion video would receive recognition."
Dombrowski hopes viewers came away with a better understanding of energy poverty and a sense that positive change is possible.
"I hope viewers gain an understanding of how vast and nuanced energy poverty is," she said. "We have the power to steer our future in a sustainable and healthy direction, and I think communication, policy and compassion can get us there."
Dombrowski's environmental advocacy extends far beyond filmmaking.
An accomplished artist, she has developed 'Quilling Conservation,' a project that uses paper quilling to raise awareness about endangered Pennsylvania birds. She also created a companion website explaining the threats facing those species and ways the public can help protect them.
She said the project grew naturally from two lifelong interests.
"As both an artist and an environmentalist, I've often had mixed feelings about how the two can seem to conflict," Dombrowski said. "Over time, though, I realized that art can be a catalyst for environmental change when it's created with purpose and an awareness of material use."
She believes visual art makes complicated scientific issues more accessible.
"My experience in public health research made me realize there's often a gap between scientific research and the public," she said. "Art helps bridge that communication gap. Regardless of the language someone speaks, visual art has the power to communicate ideas in a way that's immediate and universal."
Her interest in quilling began in the fifth grade, when a family friend gave her boxes filled with quilling supplies.
"I loved the challenge of transforming simple paper strips into detailed images," she said.
As Dombrowski learned more about Pennsylvania wildlife, she discovered that 16 of the state's 23 endangered species are birds.
"Birds play essential roles in ecosystems by dispersing seeds and pollinating plants," she said. "That inspired me to use my artwork to raise awareness about their decline."
Her artwork recently earned another honor when she was selected as PBS39's July Artist of the Month, a program recognizing outstanding student artists in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The winning piece, titled 'Mother Bird and Hatchling Amongst Encroachment,' depicts two piping plovers resting on a beach surrounded by human footprints and plastic netting.
"I wanted to contrast the birds' fragile nesting habitat with the growing impact of human activity," Dombrowski said.
She said the recognition has been encouraging.
"I'm grateful for all the recognition I've received as a young artist so far because it can be difficult to share your work and find an audience," she said. "Recognition from organizations and programs like PBS39, the World of 8 Billion contest and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has given me the confidence to continue pursuing both art and environmental advocacy."
Dombrowski is also taking her conservation efforts into the community. Inspired by bicycle rides with her father, she is working to install bluebird nesting boxes in a local park where she noticed none existed.
"I've always believed in the mindset of, 'If not me, then who?' so I decided to do something about it," she said.
She hopes the project eventually will become a community observation site where residents can monitor nesting activity and learn more about local bird populations.
Outside of her environmental work, Dombrowski enjoys painting, knitting and paper quilling. She plays violin in Pennsbury High School's honors symphonic orchestra and is a member of the school's Mathletes team.
As she enters her senior year, she plans to continue expanding her conservation projects while preparing for college.
"I'm currently updating the project website to make it more interactive and engaging," she said. "In college, I hope to pursue some environmental science-related major and/or public health major while continuing to create art that makes scientific and environmental issues more accessible. I definitely plan to keep experimenting with stop-motion and other artistic mediums, and I'm excited to see where that interdisciplinary approach takes me."
She also offers simple advice to other Pennsbury students interested in entering competitions of their own.
"My biggest piece of advice is to start early," Dombrowski said. "Planning ahead gave me time to research thoroughly, develop a unique idea and experiment with different video styles. Personally, I never like to do things last minute."
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