Junior Mariah Swanson loves art, specifically graphic design.

Swanson hopes to be a graphic designer, and the graphic design CTE (career and technological education) course will help prepare for that.

She said, “[It] is run like how it would in the real world for a graphic designer. We get to work hands-on in groups and by ourselves, it’s a very interactive class.”

This is Swanson’s first year doing the CTE course, but this is not her first year enjoying the arts.

She said, “For projects that we present, I always find myself designing them because it’s fun for me.”

Looking into Swanson’s personal life she paints for fun, as gifts for other people, to put up on her walls, and so much more. The graphic design course was just a way to expand her knowledge.

Even after making many pieces of art in her lifetime, she has a few favorites.

She said, “My favorite projects I’ve worked on were the branding and the surrealism projects. They’ve both allowed me to explore my creativity and there weren’t strict instructions”

In a class of lots of students, in a completely different school district, making her art stand out isn’t an easy task.

She said, “I will always go for a mystical forest vibe with pastel colors for my class projects. It is hard to make it ‘mine’. For my personal artwork, I always sign it with a cursive M”

If you want to check out Swanson’s art, there is a beautiful collection on her Instagram at @m4r14s.