Senior Molane (Jinghan) Hu has loved art ever since she was a young girl. Her passion began in kindergarten, when she was still living in China. Hu won several awards for her art when she was only 6 years old. In 2014, she moved to the United States. For a year, Hu did not do any artwork, which did not make her feel good. Creating artwork is Hu’s absolute favorite thing to do, and she feels truly happy doing it.

“I kind of have a habit of doing art,” said Hu. “I enjoy doing it.”

She enjoys focusing on people as the subjects of her art because she draws inspiration from the emotions people have.

“I like to pay more attention to the people around me than things because we all have some relationship between us,” said Hu.

Hu’s art has won the most awards ever given for art in Mercy’s history. This week, she found out from the Scholastic awards that she won 18 awards for her art, including several gold and silver key awards. Hu was shocked and excited at her accomplishments.

“My heart was beating so fast, ” said Hu. “I was surprised to see my name.”

She was taking notes on her iPad in English class when she received an email informing her she had won. That whole morning, Hu had been anxious about whether or not she would receive any awards. When she realized she won 18, she was in awe.

“I felt so happy that day,” said Hu.

Her exceptional talent has caused several colleges to express interest in her. She has received offers from colleges in New York City, Chicago, California, and is still waiting to hear more. Hu has not decided where she will go yet, but she is leaning toward a school in New York. In college, Hu plans to use her current talents to her advantage, but is eager to learn more skills as well.

“I plan to learn graphic design because it is useful in many fields,” said Hu.

Fine art can be tricky to excel in, especially since careers are limited. But, with graphic design, Hu hopes she can combine her skills with modern technology and eventually make a stable career out of it.