Lauren Hannani staff writer
Seventeen students in photography class received awards after submitting their photos to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a national recognition program for creative students from all over the country.
Junior Emilia Kyriazis was awarded a Silver Key, which is the second best award after the Gold Key. She is very thankful for this since the award has made her feel more confident and optimistic about her photographic talent.
“It was such an awesome feeling receiving the award. I was not very interested in entering the competition at first because I felt like I didn’t have a shot, but thankfully Mr. Briggs made it a mandatory assignment,” Kyriazis said. “It really boosted my confidence as a photographer and I am eager to continue entering my work into future competitions.”
As a result of the contest, Kyriazis feels like her photography class is more like a team since they are all very supportive of each other’s work.
“We ask each other for advice all the time on photographs and printing styles,” Kyriazis said. “The creativity shared by classmates is contagious and really helps everyone succeed.”
Senior Emma Maisterra also feels proud of herself and her classmates because of their ability to win competitive and prestigious awards that thousands of students hope for every year.
“[Winning] was awesome and surprising, considering there were entries from so many different schools,” Maisterra said.
Overall, the photography students feel very rewarded for earning recognition for something that they work hard to perfect every day.
“It’s great to win an award for something you love to do,” Maisterra said.