Meet the NSHSS Class of 2016 T-Shirt Contest Winner Nicole Dully

Nicole Dully is currently a senior at Pleasant Valley High school in Chico, California. She is in the AP and partial IB program at this school, and plans to attend 4 or more years of college. She has not decided what she will study, but she is considering a career in education as a teacher. In addition to being a member of NSHSS, Nicole is a member of the student government at her school, the organization National Charity League, CSF, and the cross-country and track teams.

Nicole is very interested in art, and has won two best of show awards and several first place awards for her work. She is also currently working on a large mural for her school. She chose to hand draw her submission for the NSHSS Class of 2016 T-shirt Contest because she prefers the authentic and artistic look that drawing by hand offers. While she is a aware of the increasing popularity of technology being used in the creation of art, especially in graphic design, she thinks these digital tools make it difficult sometimes to see the artist's unique look. When asked to explain her contest submission Nicole said, "drawing by hand usually takes more time, effort, patience, and dedication, and I consider these as some of the most important scholarly qualities. I chose to draw an open book because it represents the eagerness to acquire knowledge. I thought this hand-drawn design would stand out among the others, because it is refreshing to see a combination of art and knowledge, and the use of both the right brain and left brain."