Cincinnati, Ohio, April 13, 2021– The New York Times had a simple question for teenagers last fall: What has 2020 been like for you? As a part of the final project in Saint Ursula Academy’s Art and Photography class, each student created a piece to submit to the New York Times Learning Network contest, Coming of Age in 2020. The class assignment was to create a collage capturing some aspect of 2020.
We are proud to share that three (3) SUA students were selected as finalists in the national contest. Their names appeared in print and digital versions of the New York Times in a special section titled “Teens on a Year that Changed Everything.”
The SUA contest finalists are:
Ellie Hoffman ’22 of Monfort Heights, “There’s No Place like Home”,
Brooke Hunstad ’22 of Green Twp., “Together we Rise”
Avery Reid ’22 of Anderson Twp., “A Change is Going to Come”
Ellie Hoffman ’22 said the contest allowed her to share some things she realized over the past year struggling through the pandemic.
“I would just say to not forget about yourself,” said Eleanor. “It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the world around you, but by stopping and doing the things you love and being around those who make you happy, your perspective will immediately change. I’m hoping to go into senior year with more confidence and joy than I ever have before. I want to give my classmates some hope for their future, as I have received some in the past year!”
Brooke Hunstad ’22, said she was motivated to highlight racial inequality.
“I feel many people, like myself, truly became aware of the severity of how bad racial inequality and violence still is in our world today,” said Brooke. “I wanted to illustrate the pain and disrespect people of color have felt and still feel today and inspire others to join them in the fight for equality.” She added it’s important for people to “always take action as if you were in the shoes of the people suffering.”
Avery Reid ’22, shared the meaning behind the piece she created.
“My art piece focused more on the struggles that the United States had as a nation, such as the controversial elections, the series of protests across the nation, and of course, COVID-19,” said Avery. “At this point, I had hoped some of these major issues would be resolved or at least have a resolution in sight, but as everyone can see, our country is still as divided as ever. Despite this, I have hope that we can overcome our national challenge, especially with the widespread vaccination underway.”
The artistic representations provided by these students, and over 5,000 other students, help memorialize a year that many teens say they would prefer to forget. In summary, the NYT reports that in many ways, teenagers will remember 2020 as “a generation-defining disaster. Being trapped inside—and missing the milestones that ordinarily mark coming of age in America—was lonely, disorienting, depressing, and even suffocating.” However, these young adults also proved their resilience by figuring out who they were and reinventing themselves.
Caption: New York Times Contest Finalists (L-R) Avery Reid ’22, Ellie Hoffman ’22, and Brooke Hunstad ’22.
Saint Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. Saint Ursula welcomes students from more than 80 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Class of 2020 reported earning college scholarship offers averaging $169,375 per student. The Academy is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of Saint Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910.