Jackie Huang
Editor's Note:
Jackie Huang, a junior at Lafayette High School, received this year's Missouri Fine Arts Academy scholarship award. She will join 220 students across Missouri to attend the 2002 Academy class at the campus of Southwest Missouri State University, June 9-29, 2002. 
Jackie Huang's art work
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education administers the Fine Arts Academy in cooperation with Southwest Missouri State University. It is made possible through funds appropriated by the Missouri General Assembly and was established to provide enrichment opportunities which may differ significantly from those provided in the more traditional high school programs. The student to be chosen to participate the Missouri Fine Arts Academy will not only benefit personally from this unique experience, but will also play a role in the development and improvement of programs for advanced students throughout Missouri schools.
Each year, only 2 students from each Missouri school district can be recommended to apply for this Missouri Fine Arts Academy scholarship. As the winner from Rockwood School District, Jackie Huang will represent her school and community and be a guest of the State of Missouri, the City of Springfield, and Southwest Missouri State University this summer. 
Jackie Huang's art work
To apply for the scholarship, Jackie had to submit 8 pieces of her artwork and an essay talking about her personal dream and how to assure the dream can come true. Following is the essay written by Jackie Huang.
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"No, honey. Color inside the lines."
By Jackie Huang
"No, honey. Color inside the lines." From the very first time my mother bought me a Disney Little Mermaid coloring book and taught me how to color I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
My dream was to work for the Walt Disney Animation Studio and create "magic" - to bring joy and laughter to children for generations to come. Woodrow Wilson once said, "We grow by great dreams," but that doesn't necessarily mean we always have to grow up. When we do grow up, most of us lose the innocence found in a child- the imagination, the hopes, and the dreams - but I have always kept my dream. I have always wanted to create art, and I always will create art. From the moment I learned how to color in the lines, I've been working to obtain and nourish my dream of working for Disney. Everyone knows it's easier said than done, and being Chinese with parents that just emigrated from Taiwan makes it even more difficult. They want their children to do better than they did and produce a better life in America. This means receiving a good education and a practical career like going to MIT and becoming a computer engineer.
My father feared that being an artist would not support me in life. He tried everything to persuade me to do something related to computers and technology - anything more practical than art- but I couldn't. How could I give up my dream? Argument after argument, we debated and yelled, but I wasn't going to compromise. It's my dream. I will protect it from anything. And I am going to achieve it.
Eventually, he understood that I was going to major in art and decided that if I was going to do that, I'd better have a good teacher. Starting freshman year, I started lessons. I had to relearn everything, such as the correct way to hold the sketch pencil, the correct way to hatch, the correct value changes, how to correctly take proportions, and, most importantly, how to correctly see like an artist.
After my freshman year, I received an ARTS scholarship from the Rockwood School District and used the money to attend Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan for two weeks. There I got to meet people from all around the nation sharing the same passion for art. Even though I knew I wasn't even close to being the best there, it only motivated me to want to work harder. I don't feel compelled to prevail over everyone. I feel compelled to outdo myself. No artist is ever perfect and no artist should ever think that or else they can't grow and learn.
Looking back now, I can see my love for art started as small as a twig, by simply taking the pretty crayons and filling in the lines. Over the years I've nourished my dream. Through schooling, practice, and private tutoring, my commitment to art became stronger and stronger like a vigorous growing tree. I will always nourish and protect my dream to "bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dream will come true." I can assure it will come true.
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