By Jenny Tran
Words inked on fresh printer paper. Graphite remnants across well-loved sketchbooks. Careful eyes trained, fingers stretched across pens and keyboards. A keen mind, ready for the journey, for the creation it is about to embark on.
Baron Banner isn’t just a portfolio for her writing and art pieces, but a ready canvas. One which she paints her masterpieces on, day after eager day.
For incoming senior Hannah Park, it is only her second year in the class. But she has already made a lasting impact through her beautifully-crafted stories, whatever medium they may be through.
“I just love doing everything. Leonardo DaVinci, you know, he did everything,” Park said. “So, I try to dabble in as many things as I can.”
Park originally joined Baron Banner for writing, seeking a space for her to express herself through her prose and improve on her skills. But, very much like a protagonist beaten up by plot, she found herself eager to do more than what she had expected of herself.
One example—art.
“I mean, you’re just so powerful. You can just create anything with your pen,” Park said. “Even though it’s kind of trite, I really do believe in the phrase ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ We’re very visual people, so…when I illustrate for someone’s article, I love making it ‘pop.’ I love [seeing their ideas] come to life.”
Through every careful brush stroke and sprinkle of color, Park’s art pieces bring a breath of fresh air to the newspaper. Along with writing and photography, it’s just another one of the outlets she embodies her creativity through.
Park doesn’t keep these talents to herself, though. As the president of the campus’s art club, she enjoys helping her peers improve their art styles and offering a welcome space for all artists alike to share their experiences and guide others. Her willingness to help others extends to outside of school, where she also volunteers to teach kids how to play the piano.
When she isn’t pouring over books or sketch pads, Park is a student like the rest of us. And a hard-working one too. But apart from what she learns in the classroom, Park finds the challenges in academics to be a key point of growth for her too.
“During my junior year, I kind of overloaded myself with things. I was not in a good mental health state at that time,” Park said. “I think the experience was a little bit stressful. But after that, I realized that maybe the things I was prioritizing weren’t that important after all. I think I became, actually, a lot more faithful and in touch with what’s important in life.”
It’s no coincidence that Park’s motto in life, then, is ripped right out of the last page of ‘Candide’ by Voltaire: “We must cultivate our garden.”
“Worrying too much about the past and future…isn’t too great. [It’s better to] gear toward acceptance,” Park said. “If I ever feel inadequate or nervous, I have this going through my head: ‘Just do your best.’ If you don’t know how your life is going to turn out, just as long as you’re doing your best, there’s nothing more that you can do.”
And Park plans to apply this mindset to the college application season, which is readily approaching. No matter how daunting her close future may seem though, she looks forward to it, seeing college as an opportunity rather than something to be scared of.
It is clear that Park’s “best” is riddled through everything she does—her drawings and her words and everything in between. And for her, there are still so many more gardens that need cultivating.