When Luis Torres was in the Navy, he says he felt judged to be from the Bronx.

But he says when he came back home, and started to do the work in the education system as a principal at P.S. 55, he realized that The Bronx was a special place.

He says if you can make it in the Bronx, you can make it anywhere.

As principal, Torres is spreading that outlook by decorating his school with inspirational graffiti and artwork. 

"If we're going to turn the Bronx around, the way we're doing it, the arts are going to be part of that change," he says.

Images of hope and a borough undergoing transformation are what line the halls and the play yard at P.S. 55.

Torres says his artwork has always been a hobby, but he sees real value in sharing one's world with others.

"We talk about putting an X on violence, crime, poverty, poor health conditions, so when we put up the X sign—I want people to start viewing the X sign as a symbol of eliminating these negative things," Torres says.