Before she was gunned down with her classmates, , wanted to be an artist who shared her creations with the world.
Google has obliged.
Earlier this year, the search giant asked students to submit entries for its contest. The winner will take home some big prizes and see their artwork atop Google.com for 24 hours.
Google has posted thousands of Doodles on its page, honouring everything from the and to and. Tuesday's Doodle heralded what would've been the 113th birthday of , considered the "grandmother of Malayalam literature."
The Doodle for Google contest, now in its 14th year, allows kids "to display their own Doodle creativity on Google.com and win some awesome prizes while doing it!" the company says. This year's theme is self-care.
Alithia entered her drawing ahead of the March deadline: a girl on a sofa with two balls of yarn and a pet, the obligatory "Google" spelled out in art on the wall over the couch.
"I want the world to see my art and show the world what I can do, I want people to be happy when they see my passion in art," .
In May, a gunman opened fire in Robb Elementary School, . It was 12 hours before Ryan Ramirez, Alithia's father, learned her fate, he told CNN.
The fourth grader was he said, and she was always there if anyone needed anything.
Alithia also loved to draw, Ramirez said, and "always had a crayon in hand, just going to town." When Ramirez met with U.S. President Joe Biden during his visit to Uvalde, the commander in chief told him he'd be hanging one of Alithia's drawings in the White House.
Her grandmother, Rosa Maria Ramirez, confirmed to ABC News that Alithia had entered the Doodle for Google competition.
"She was a very talented little girl. She loved to draw. She was real sweet, never getting into trouble," . "She was drawing to be able to put her drawing in the Google. She was trying to win the Google (contest)."
, and served as judges, narrowing the field down to , and Google users voted on the five finalists who will be announced next week.
Unfortunately, Alithia's sketch did not advance to the final rounds of the contest, but Google opted to highlight her work nonetheless, prominently displaying her drawing created for her and the other Uvalde victims.
Expressing condolences for the friends and family of all victims, Google spokesperson Colette Garcia explained, "In Alithia Ramirez's 2022 Doodle for Google submission, she described her desire to show the world her art and everything she can do, and we're committed to honoring those wishes and her legacy. Her story and art profoundly touched us, and we wanted to honour her family's request to share her unique talents that were so tragically taken as a result of senseless violence."
The five finallists will be announced July 28, and the winner in August, Garcia said in an email.
National finalists will receive a $5,000 college scholarship, and the winner will collect a US$30,000 scholarship and a $50,000 technology package for her or his school, .
