Elizabeth Zhu almost didn't enter the competition. The Hinsdale Central High School junior made "Fragrant Memory" as a class project for instructor Aleksandra Zdun's Drawing and Painting 2 course, and it became the first piece she ever submitted to a contest. It won her one of only two American Visions Awards given in the entire country at the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Zhu traveled to Carnegie Hall in New York with her parents and sister on June 10 to accept both a gold medal and the American Visions Award at the national ceremony. Her pen drawing was chosen from 335,000 works submitted by more than 110,000 students in grades 7 through 12 across the United States, U.S. territories, and Canada.

The drawing depicts an empty kitchen with a pan on the stove. Zhu said she hopes viewers think of someone who cares for them by preparing their favorite food.

"The whole piece is supposed to feel nostalgic and kind of sad," Zhu told The Hinsdalean.

To make the image feel like a memory, she colored the paper a creamy shade rather than white, then added pink to the otherwise black-and-white composition. The American Visions Award, underwritten by Dav and Sayuri Pilkey, requires a student to first earn a regional Gold Key before national judges review the work. It carries a $500 scholarship.

Zhu has been drawing since early elementary school, but she credits two teachers with shaping her recent growth. Zdun, she said, pushed her to create pictures that tell a story and evoke feelings. Private instructor Naiying Davis of Downers Grove, with whom Zhu studies weekly, made her more confident and more observant.

"Winning was really a surprise. I started thinking maybe I can actually do something with this," Zhu said.

The recognition comes at a pivotal moment. When school resumes in August, Zhu will take AP Art Studio at Hinsdale Central, a course that requires each student to produce a 15-piece portfolio around a single theme. Choosing that theme tops her summer to-do list. She is also participating in a four-week summer program at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Beyond visual art, Zhu is an accomplished flutist preparing for Illinois Music Educators Association auditions and joining the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra ensemble in September.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, founded in 1923, counts Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, and Amanda Gorman among its alumni. Close to 600 teen medalists attended the June 10 ceremony, where actor John Leguizamo delivered the keynote.

For updated District 86 and District 181 board meeting schedules, visit hinsdale86.org or d181.org.