March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 49 F

North County Student, Ashley Lim, Receives National Art Award

North County High School senior Ashley Lim is no stranger to winning awards for her visual artwork. While she remains humbled by so much recognition, the acknowledgement of her undeniable talent has now reached a national stage.

Lim recently received the National Art Education Association (NAEA) 2012 Rising Stars Secondary Recognition Award at the organization’s national convention in New York City. AACPS Coordinator of Art Suzanne Owens was also named 2012 Eastern Region Supervision/Administration Art Educator of the Year at the convention.

As the only high school student in the country to earn the honor, Lim feels the award is truly a culmination of a long academic journey of perseverance.

“I realized how much art meant to me when I was 12, when my family immigrated to the United States,” Lim wrote in her award application. “I found one fantastic place that eliminated my fearful feelings toward this new environment. The only place I felt comfortable was my art class.” From having artwork displayed at the Statue of Liberty when she was a freshman in high school to participating in an exhibit at the United States Department of Education, Lim has also made a local impression on her school’s art scene. She is an officer in her school’s newly-formed National Art Honor Society, helping to raise significant contributions to the program through the sales of her

Logo of the National Art Education Association.

paintings.

While she’s especially appreciative of the encouragement and guidance given to her by her many art teachers, including North County’s James Dell and Jordyn Roemer, Lim plans to honor their influence by becoming an art educator herself.

“I found my hope and future in art… I would have missed my chance without the help of my art teacher… This is my talent and I hope to become a great art educator for students,” she wrote. Lim is the third Anne Arundel County Public Schools student in as many years to earn the NAEA’s Rising Stars award.

Chosen as the top educator among 21 areas from West Virginia to the Newfoundland and Labrador province in Canada, Owens’ work in expanding visual arts opportunities for young artists has been an inspiration for students and staff throughout Anne Arundel County. Her trailblazing efforts and advocacy for arts integration curricula have been key to the development of the county’s performing and visuals arts magnet programming.

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