CIS student places in local art contest
Yenifer, a CIS student at Lexington Middle School recently won a first place prize in the creative writing and art contest sponsored each year by the Lexington Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
It was on a whim that Lexington Middle School eighth grader, Yenifer accepted her art teacher’s challenge to submit a piece of art in the creative writing and art contest sponsored annually by the Lexington Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Yenifer, who has been enrolled in the Communities In Schools of Lexington/Davidson County mentoring program for two years, wasn’t expecting much to come of the contest; she had finished her piece depicting the connection between the civil rights movement of the 60s and 70s and the recent battle over immigration reform in a hurry.
When she received word that her drawing had won first place, she couldn’t believe it.
“I was happy because I entered last-minute. It was surprising,” Yenifer said, explaining that the idea she hoped to convey with her piece is that the country’s immigration policy is an issue that has real consequences for people in her community, who want to graduate high school and go on to be successful college students.
“The theme we were supposed to follow was ‘continuing the dream of Martin Luther King,’” Yenifer said. “My piece had Martin Luther King and images of the past on one side and President Obama on the other with what people are doing now. The people are showing pride in who and what they are. It’s about hope.”
Yenifer wants to one day become a forensic scientist but she keeps a sketchbook and uses art as an outlet for when she’s stressed or has a lot on her mind. She also turns to her mentor, Candy Conklin, who also happens to be her art teacher, when she needs someone to talk to.
“She’s a wonderful child, she really is,” said Conklin of Yenifer. “She’s very responsible. She is the kind of child that CIS is meant to help. I get good feelings about her.”
Conklin joined the Lexington Middle School CIS program as a mentor shortly after accepting the art teacher position there three years ago. She immediately recognized Yenifer’s potential for success in the program.
“I recommended Yenifer initially for CIS because she is very quiet. She really doesn’t like to talk much and I thought she could use the socialization,” said Conklin. “A lot of times only the loudest children get noticed and she is so quiet that she could be invisible. With her talent, I wanted her to be recognized for what she is capable of.”
Conklin is also a mentor to two other eighth grade students, Sheyla and Nora. She said she has enjoyed witnessing the girls develop a bond.
Yenifer agreed that being matched with Conklin has made a big difference in her willingness to open up and talk to other students and adults.
“I used to have this fear of talking in front of people and she’s (Conklin) really helped me deal with that. I was the shy, quiet person in the corner and now not so much,” Yenifer said. “She also helped me put more focus into my studies.”