Inderkum High School junior Sarah Allen will have her pastels-on-wood portrait of a Haitian youth displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year as her prize for being named Congresswoman Doris Matsui’s district winner in the 2015 Congressional Art Competition.
Sarah defeated 45 other high school students from 10 Sacramento-area campuses to capture top honors, but two other Natomas teens also won awards in the contest: Hassel Flores of Inderkum and Therese Pang of Natomas Charter School tied for third.
Sarah will receive roundtrip airfare from Southwest Airlines and hotel accommodations from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission to attend a June reception in Washington, D.C., to honor Congressional district winners nationwide.
Dave Contreras, Sarah’s art teacher in Inderkum’s International Baccalaureate program, was pleased but not surprised by Sarah’s victory. Her pastels-on-wood portrait was unusual and creative, he said, an outside-the-box type of entry from a unique young lady.
“She’s very talented, she’s gifted – a natural artist,” Contreras said.
Matsui’s office said entries were judged on the basis of the student’s artistry, technique and creativity.
Sarah’s titled her portrait “Luvensky,” which is the name of the fifth-grade Haitian student it depicts. Luvensky participates in a pen pal exchange between Haiti’s Sonlight School and Natomas Charter School that Sarah organized as an Inderkum IB service project.
Sarah said she plans to give the portrait to Luvensky after its year of display at the U.S. Capitol is complete.
Through her church, Sarah has made three trips to Haiti, helping out at schools or wherever she’s needed. Her father has assisted with humanitarian projects in Haiti, including construction of a church and a replacement home for a family whose residence burned down.
“Haiti is a huge part of my life and the people there have impacted me,” Sarah said. “I guess it’s changed my whole perspective on things, really opened my eyes to the world around me. You don’t realize how people are living (in poverty) until you actually go see it personally. It’s been a very good experience.”
By painting shoes, Sarah uses her artistic acumen to raise money for two girls she met in Haiti.
The Inderkum High School teen has not yet decided upon a career, but it may involve Haiti and it definitely will be “something with helping people,” she said.
