Creating art, singing opera, and creative writing provide an outlet for senior Lauren Bernal.

Beginning in the sixth grade, Lauren found her passion for art creating simple drawings.

“She’s always had extreme creativity,” art teacher Renee Richards said. “I’ve seen her become more disciplined and she’s improved her technique. I think what she tries to say is getting stronger so her ideas come to fruition.”

Artists face many obstacles in creating art, but Lauren finds ways to overcome problems while maintaining her sense of expression.

“She’s extremely dedicated,” Richards said. “She doesn’t stop when she encounters something that is difficult for her. She looks to her fellow students and sees what they have done to overcome it. She asks others for solutions, or just powers through it until she finds a technique that matches her voice.”

Through hard work and determination, Lauren is able to help those around her and radiate positivity in art and choir.

“Lauren is a solid artist,” choir director Alex Medlock said. “She always works hard and stays positive. She’s always respectful and helpful to others and an awesome girl all around.”

By putting herself out there Lauren has developed her talent and personal expression.

“Lauren has grown in confidence this year,” Medlock said. “I’ve been able to see that in her because she has auditioned for and received multiple solos this year.”

Lauren enjoys things that amplify her personality in different mediums.

“I enjoy singing opera,” Lauren said. “It’s heartfelt and out there. I’m pretty weird in general, so it’s really fun to sing opera.”

Even with a larger audience, Lauren put aside her anxiety and gave a performance that brought the audience to their feet.

“Performing at the Texas-Oklahoma state Key Club Convention was a scary thing for me,” Lauren said. “I’ve never performed in front of more than 500 people and there was at least 1200 people watching me. I got on stage and it was very nerve racking but awesome.”

Lauren’s teachers outside of fine arts also recognize her creative spirit. Her English teacher, Lisa Prejean, also sees her creativity shine.

“Lauren’s creativity sets her apart from other students,” Prejean said. “She’s an extremely gifted artist and has a creative mind.”

With all of Lauren’s creativity she is able to apply it in a logical way to her classes that require upper-level thinking.

“Lauren’s analytical,” Prejean said. “She will sometimes see things that other kids don’t see. She seems to look at things from a different perspective than other students.”

By pouring her personality into her artwork, Lauren creates a connection between her and the viewer, proving that the arts have a deeper purpose than providing aesthetics.

“Lauren’s creativity is her strong suit,” Richards said. “She looks deeply and feels strongly and that definitely comes through in her artwork and you can feel that when you see her work.”