Students from Jefferson High School earned top recognition at the 13th Annual Illinois High School Art Exhibition, held at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago.
The statewide event featured more than 1,200 student artists from over 100 high schools and drew more than 4,000 visitors. Widely considered the gold standard for high school art exhibitions, IHSAE connects students with colleges, scholarships, and career opportunities in the arts.
Major Awards and Honors
Jefferson students stood out among the state’s best, earning multiple top awards:
Mily Sigala (Senior) received Best in Show in the Senior Scholarship Exhibition for her pastel self-portrait “Metamorphosis.”
Dayana Santiago (Senior) earned Best in Show (Painting) for “Through the Glass.”
Brittany Zepeda (Senior) received a Gold Award (Drawing) for her charcoal piece “Concealed Grief.”
Kristina Solis (Senior) was named a Top 20 Senior Scholarship Recipient, earning five scholarship offers totaling $356,000.
Program Success
For the sixth consecutive year, Jefferson’s Studio Art program was recognized as a Top 20 Scholarship School. In total, Jefferson seniors earned $1,604,000 in scholarship offers, with six students selected to exhibit in the prestigious Senior Scholarship Exhibition:
Destinee Lazzaro
Adylene Montoya
Jocelyn Pereira-Jara
Dayana Santiago
Mily Sigala
Kristina Solis
Northern Regional Exhibition Participants
Jefferson was also represented in the “Best of the Best” Northern Regional Exhibition, featuring over 500 works from across Illinois. Student participants included:
Jocelynn Ayala (Painting)
Destinee Lazzaro (Drawing)
Dayana Santiago (Painting)
Mily Sigala (Drawing)
Kristina Solis (Drawing)
Brittany Zepeda (Drawing)
Additional Recognition
Senior Adylene Montoya was also named the winner of the Illinois 17th District Congressional Art Competition. Her painting “Big Kid” was selected by Eric Sorensen and will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.
