A summer internship program has changed the face of the local juvenile detention center forever.

The two interns assigned to work in the Warren County Youth Court this summer put their heads together to create a mural in the hallway between the detention center and the court room.

Giolvonte Steed, junior graphic design major at Jackson State University, and Kaylor Bell sophomore biology and psychology major at Jackson State University, spent the last three weeks of their internship creating a bright mural meant to inspire the juveniles housed in the detention center.

“I wanted (the juveniles) to see that they have a future and they can be something and do something,” said Kathy Holden, Warren County Juvenile Detention Center administrator.

She asked for the interns’ help on the project, and she is very proud of the way it turned out.

“Kathy told me she wanted something positive, she wanted something hopeful, something to give them to lift their spirits up,” Steed said.

Bell, a former track runner, came up with the idea of a track meet to illustrate life’s journey and the hurtles people encounter. Hurtles were always scary to her in her running days because she never felt sure there was time to prepare for the next hurtle.

“Life is like that. You can get over one thing, but then something that is so close to it is hard. But if you get over then there are good things to come,” she said, adding the main idea is for the juveniles to know there is something beyond the walls.

“It’s something positive for the kids,” Steed said. “They don’t have to see just a bleak wall. It’s something that can give them hope.”

He ran with the idea and sketched out the image he saw in his head of blue figures running against an orange wall with love, happiness and joy as they jump over the hurtles of life like failure, fear and neglect and make it to the finish line of success. The figures celebrate at the finish line decked out in graduation caps. The design was inspired by Keith Haring, one of his favorite artists.

“It’s all about overcoming,” Steed said. “You don’t need to focus on the failures that you go through. You need to focus on how many times you’ve gotten back up. You don’t need to focus on the fear. You need to focus on how you’re going to conquer that fear.”

He was confident in his ability to create a mural and only leery about the medium he was using.

“It was my first time working with oil based paint,” Steed said, adding it can be unpredictable and hard to manage.

The mural was presented to Youth Court Judge Johnny Price on his 70th birthday Thursday. Price knew the interns were working on the mural, but he had only seen it in the early stages. Steed was glad to be able to give something to Price for his birthday.

“I didn’t know it was going to be finished today,” Price said. “They did wonderful.”

Holden said the juveniles have taken notice of the mural. Steed said it feels good to know this mural will be around for some time.

“That’s a good feeling knowing that you changed somebody else’s life by doing something that you love,” Steed said.