By Rebecca Do
There are countless ways to express your creativity and Lena Nguyen is an artistic jack of all trades.
The illustrator is an imaginative force to be reckoned with; Nguyen turned to drawing during the pandemic and has been honing her craft ever since.
“I started drawing during quarantine when things were getting boring and I’ve liked drawing ever since,” Nguyen said.
Her limits are panoramic, illustrating things from humans to landscapes to objects we see in our everyday life. Nguyen has recently branched out with acrylic paint for these landscapes.
In school, Nguyen is taking two APs, AP English Language and Composition and AP Drawing. Nguyen is also taking Digital Photo Media, making for an art-centric schedule.
“AP Drawing is kind of a class I didn’t really think I would be in; if you asked me in freshman year I wouldn’t see myself taking a class like that,” Nguyen said. “Freshman year was really when I started to take art more seriously and enjoyed it so that persuaded me to take AP Drawing.”
When she’s not drawing, she turns to baking.
“I started a new baking club. I went [to club rush] in my freshman year and looked for a baking club, but I didn’t see anything. So [I thought] why not [start a club] my junior year?” Nguyen said.
The club, “Icing Smiles,” donates their proceeds from baking to the parent organization, which helps children undergoing “critical illnesses.”
“Baking is kind of like an experiment because you don’t really know how it’ll turn out until you take it out of the oven; which makes it even more exciting,” Nguyen said.
Baking and illustrating aren’t the only things that stimulate the right side of her brain. Nguyen is also a board member of the “Pen on Paper” club, where creativity is the driving force. She writes letters to send to senior centers and children’s hospitals.
Being talented and proactive can lead people to think about their future, but Nguyen isn’t quite sure what she’ll do.
“Majoring in art is something I have in mind, but I’m also scared that financially in the future maybe it won’t work out. However, this year I hope to explore more in art by taking classes such as AP Drawing and Digital Photo Media Design,” Nguyen said.
“I’m excited to meet everyone and see what their story is. I think that [telling stories] is really special and I’m excited to work with everyone,” Nguyen said.
One thing for sure—Nguyen is the type of person who would head to a boba shop when the teacher leaves the class. Nguyen is the type of person who works on art pieces all at once because she gets lost in the lines, colors and textures.
Lena Nguyen—a leader, an artist and now a Baron Banner illustrator. She’s a star that you definitely don’t want to miss out on.