MHS Senior Making an Impact on the World of Art

While most high school students work at a job to pay for extra weekend money, Memorial High School senior Sharon Han is getting paid for creating beautiful works of art. Her art has been displayed in rodeo, scholastic, and congressional competitions which have earned her many thousands of dollars.

Sharon has competed and placed in over 50 art competitions throughout her high school career and has worked with a number of materials ranging from pencil drawings to multimedia pieces. 

“I’m really proud of all my pieces. My favorites are oil paintings because I love to draw them and it's really fun to paint with oil paint,” she said. 

Some of her most notable art endeavors consist of Rodeo art where her entries have made it to auction level and sold for $10,000 as well as her congressionalist art competition achievements, where she has been recognized by two US Representatives on separate occasions for her work.

Most recently, Sharon has received a $64,000 scholarship to Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) for her portfolio collection of 20 pieces. That same portfolio earned her a gold medal at a state competition and is currently under review for ranking in the national competition as well as advancing in the MICA scholarship program, which, if earned, would give her $94,000 in scholarship money.

Although her artistic accomplishments are awe-inspiring, Sharon is also involved in many programs outside of strictly art programs such as being a member of her high school’s dance team, the Memorial Markettes. She serves as the prop manager for the Markettes and oversees the design and execution of the props made for competitions and the Spring Show. Additionally, she made the cover art for the Spring Show program.

Last year Sharon was commissioned by the editors of the 2018-2019 Memorial Yearbook staff to create a three-part yearbook cover. She said she was honored to make the yearbook cover.

Sharon is undecided on where she will be attending school in the fall as well as what she will study, art or biochemistry.

Sharon’s parents have always been involved in the arts. Her mother majored in voice and her father enjoys art as a hobby; therefore, she has been exposed to the arts her whole life. She moved to Houston from Oxford, England to begin her freshman year.

“When I came to America freshman year, I thought of art as a career choice, so I started art,” she said.