In 2015, 59 students across the nation won the Scholastic Art and Gold Key award and the honor of having their work displayed at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department in Washington, D.C.

One of the few recipients was NNHS freshman Rachel Shen, selected for her painting Happy Mother’s Day.  The painting features a bowl of noodles and classic blue china, surrounded by a yellow background and complete with steam in the shape of a heart.

After working on the painting in her 8th grade art class, under the supervision of Kennedy Junior High School art teacher Ellen Rathunde, Shen said she was glad to see her effort pay off.

“I was really excited,” Shen said. “It was the first major award I won.”

Although she created the painting while she was in junior high school,  she found out about the national award just recently, as a freshman.

While Shen won in the painting category, other categories include architecture, jewelry, and video game design. Each category has both regional and national awards.

The organization provides scholarships for young artists and writers, and aims to “foster the confidence of young artists and give them the opportunity to be recognized for their creative achievements by the world at large,” according to the Scholastic Art and Writing Association website. 

To Shen, receiving the award was symbolic of her long-held passion. She said she can recall the start of her artistic journey: her mother, Lixin Qi,  playfully challenged Shen as she drew a tiger for the very first time. Ever since, Shen has been determined to be a good artist.

Qi has long been aware of her daughter’s knack for drawing and painting.

“She drew everywhere in the beginning,” Qi said. “I really think this is a thing she loves to do.”

On occasion, Qi will find her daughter up late at night, painting tirelessly. Shen said this is because art is like sleep to her, soothing her even when she is wide awake.

“Most of the time it’s for my enjoyment,” Shen said. “It’s usually pretty relaxing,”

Even though painting and drawing have become a well-loved pastime of Shen’s, her artistic abilities were initially a shock to her and her family. Qi said she never imagined her daughter would win any awards or enjoy art as much as she does.

In the future, Shen hopes she will be able to pursue art, although she said that the odds of her doing so are slim. For now, she is intrigued by comic book art and illustrations, in addition to pursuing her academic interests.

Despite there being many possibilities in Shen’s future, Qi said she thinks art enriches the present moments of her daughter’s life.

“She loves being creative. Art makes her life more rich and beautiful,” Qi said.