Seeing the Possibilities - Art Student Offers Inspiration to Others Through Her Work

Every day artist turn the challenge of a white, blank canvas into a colorful story, a meaningful tribute or a joyous visual celebration, all based on a vision and the ability to see the possibilities. This challenge is not unlike what most students face when considering a pathway for college study or career planning. Just ask Memorial High School senior Jeong Hyeyun. Jeong applied her artist's eye and creative vision in developing a winning poster design for SBISD's Naviance Navigating Your Future Poster Contest. Naviance, introduced last year in SBISD, is a comprehensive online college and career readiness solution for middle and high school students that helps connect academic achievement to post-secondary goals.

Jeong, who found out about the poster contest from a friend in her art class, is interested in all kinds of art and this interest is reflected in her skilled use of mixed media in the work. When asked about her inspiration, Jeong felt it was her peer who inspired her, "I thought it would be nice to let the underclassmen know that there is a new informative online tool to help them through college and course planning.  I think it's important for students to think about the future because everyone has talents and possibilities inside them. Just abandoning their talents would be a waste. I believe that people have the right to follow their passion and express themselves."

"I think it's wonderful that our school adopted an online tool like Naviance. My parents both lived in Korea and they had no idea how to help me with college because of the differences in educational systems. So, I had trouble trying to figure things out by myself. Naviance shows students that they can go to the next level, and makes planning for college simple and easy," said Jeong about the benefit of the Naviance tool.

Jeong's winning design is slated to be turned into a poster that will be displayed on campuses around the district. Her art will serve as a beautiful and insightful reminder to students that when you combine vision, creativity and passion, you can achieve more than you dream possible.  When asked who she would thank for helping her follow her own dreams Jeong said, "There are a lot of people I want to say 'thank you' to but especially I want to thank my parents and my art teacher, Mrs. May. They supported me throughout high school and encouraged me to go and do something I am passionate about for my career." Jeong plans on attending UT Austin in the fall, pursing the study of illustration and animation. Her dream is to work for Pixar or Disney one day. With her talent and ability to see the possibilities in her own life, and in the lives of those around her, her future is indeed bright.  

What inspired her artwork?

"When I saw the word Naviance and their logo, two things immediately popped up in my head. A compass and a giant ship on the ocean. I chose the color sky blue because it symbolizes hope, freedom, and possibility. I placed a big ship in front of the person who is standing on a compass needle to show, that like a big and strong ship, Naviance can help the person to cross the vast ocean and reach his/her destination safely." 

- Jeong Hyeyun