Storm King junior Jiaqi Ding has become a familiar face in the Hudson Valley’s art circles. Earlier this winter, her work was on display at An Artist’s Response to Human Rights– an exhibition celebrating the 30 Articles of the UN Declaration of Human Rights held at SUNY Orange in Newburgh, NY. Now, this artistic 17-year-old has been recognized once again for her creative talent– this time by Scholastic. On Friday, February 8, Jiaqi traveled to SUNY New Paltz to attend Scholastic’s 2019 Hudson Valley Scholastic Art Awards. At the ceremony, Jiaqi received a Silver Key Award in the Drawing & Illustration category for her work entitled Tree of Nature.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Students from across the country submitted nearly 350,000 original works this year in 29 different categories of art and writing. The top artists and writers at the regional level are then moved on to the national stage. Medalists at the national level are celebrated at the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City each year. Winning a medal at any level is a noteworthy achievement and can play an important role while applying for college and scholarships. Congratulations to Jiaqi for her excellent work!